GEAR UP ran a successful pilot event for GU seniors and juniors at the end of October at the White River Junction CCV. Over forty students engaged with workshops focused on career exploration and professional development, and featured 3 GU graduates on an alumni panel. Thank you to GEAR UP Outreach Counselor Kassidy Moore for bringing the students, and Erin Wetherell of CCV for hosting the space. We hope to continue this event as a series around the state!
GEAR UP Week is here!
Stories of future doctors, engineers and farmers supported by VSAC’s GEAR UP program.
Read moreGEAR UP Week is almost here!
Join thousands of students, parents, teachers, partners and college access professionals from across the nation to celebrate GEAR UP and the successes of your hard work and dedication.
Read moreThere is still time to participate in the New Better FAFSA Arrival fundraiser
Northern Vermont University Johnson Celebrates First-Gen Day
Northern Vermont University Johnson participated in the National First Generation College Celebration on November 8th.
NVU’s Johnson campus celebrated this event in several ways, including:
Setting up a table with fun give-aways, cookie decorating and a gathering of “what First-Gen means to me” signs
Interviewing the new college president—who is a first-generation college student—for for the school paper
Posting student spotlights on social media sites
Conducting a survey to gather data on first-gen faculty and staff on campus and handing out door signs for each of them
Posting videos from Senator Leahy and Congressman Welch on social media sites
The Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the Center for First-generation Student Success have have encouraged colleges, universities, corporations, non-profits, and K-12 schools to celebrate the success of first-generation college students, faculty, staff, and alumni in any and every way possible, since 2017.
A Message from Representative Peter Welch on National First Gen Day
Lyndon Institute Awarded Vermont's Newest Trio Grant
Lyndon Institute has been awarded a five-year grant totaling $1.47 million from the U.S. Department of Education to help serve first-generation and/or moderate-income students. This year’s grant competition was one of the most competitive ever—950 programs were funded out of more than 1,600 applications. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in, and graduate from, institutions of postsecondary education. The 12-month program provides assistance with high school course selection, study skills, SAT preparation, college and career information, college selection, and financial aid applications. Students will also have the opportunity to tour colleges, volunteer in their community, and attend various student leadership conferences. This federal grant will support LI’s mission to “inspire their students to become accomplished learners, creative thinkers, and compassionate community members”.
Lyndon Institute began in 1867 as the Lyndon Literary and Biblical Institution. Its first academic term was in 1870. In the more than 150 years since, the campus has served as home to the Lyndon Commercial College in 1886, and the Vermont School of Agriculture. The latter was founded in 1910 by Theodore N. Vail, the first president of New England Telephone Company and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T).
In 1923, the school officially became Lyndon Institute. From 1923 to 1951, the Institute provided both secondary and post-secondary educational programs to area students. In 1951, the post-secondary programs became Lyndon Teachers College which would later become Lyndon State College.
Upward Bound is one of the federally funded TRIO programs through the US. Department of Education and is free for any eligible participating student. The TRIO Programs (initially just three programs) are funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. TRIO students are first-generation, college-bound, and from moderate-income families and/or are students with disabilities. TRIO Upward Bound programs across the nation have supported millions of high school students from moderate-income homes to become the first in their families to earn a college degree. Established as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, these programs have invited high school students in every state to study on a college campus. During the school year, students have access to tutoring and academic counseling to keep them on track for graduation, and during the summer, they move into residence halls and enroll in classes designed to prepare them for the year ahead.
The Lyndon Institute Upward Bound program is committed to providing participants with the academic background, college preparatory experiences, and support needed to succeed in college immediately after high school. The program will work annually with 60 students who are dedicated to achieving their post-secondary goals. Students will spend six weeks of their summer living on the campus of NVU - Lyndon where they take college preparatory courses, hold volunteer work-study positions in the community, and participate in activities on campus while living in the residence halls. Upward Bound students also participate in community service activities, financial aid workshops, leadership and cultural events, and college tours throughout the school year.
VEOP Attends Policy Seminar
Policy seminar attendees with Senator Bernie Sanders (from left): Jack Gallagher, Ryan Fauci, Mia Hawlk, Lindsay Carpenter
On March 21-24, two Vermont Educational Opportunity Program Alumni, and several TRIO staff, attended the 42nd annual Policy Seminar in Washington D.C. TRIO Upward Bound alumna Mia Hawlk, and VSAC Talent Search Alumnus Jack Gallagher represented Vermont at this year’s annual event hosted by the Council for Opportunity in Education, in support of the nation’s educational opportunity programs. This year, more than 600 advocates for TRIO college access and support programs took to Capitol Hill to fight for the TRIO and GEAR UP programs. Specifically, they urged Congress to allocate an additional $170 Million for TRIO programs in the budget proposal for FY23, which would allow TRIO programs to serve a total of 1 million students nationally. Vermont TRIO Staff and Alumni met with the education aides from Congressman Peter Welch, Senator Bernie Sanders, and Senator Patrick Leahy’s offices, as well as Senator Sanders himself. The alumni spoke passionately about how their participation in Vermont’s TRIO programs impacted their college matriculation and completion.
The first days of this conference featured workshops designed to educate participants on issues of the federal budget and their potential impact of future funding proposals for the Federal TRIO programs, and to prepare for meeting with the Vermont delegation on Capitol Hill. In addition to these workshops participants also heard directly from several important members of Congress including Representatives from many different states. They shared their outlooks on the current state of TRIO and GEAR Up, as well as a positive mindset moving forward.
Mia Hawlk (to the right of Senator Sanders) was a member of the Lyndon State College (now Northern Vermont University – Lyndon) Upward Bound program from 2000-2003 and took advantage of the opportunities offered by the program to pushed herself academically, develop important leadership skills, learn how to navigate the college application process, and develop college and career goals. “[UB] not only shaped my college trajectory, it has influenced the way I view the disparity in access to education and the importance of support systems for all students. Neither of my parents held a college degree, and as a family we knew that if I wanted to attend college we would need help. We had no idea just how complicated the college application and financial aid processes would be. Thankfully, the Upward Bound team not only helped us with the administrative process, but they invested two summers in me.” Mia not only went on to graduate from Hofstra with a bachelor’s degree, she has since earned a Master’s Degree in Higher Education Administration and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Today, as the director of MBA online programs for the University of Connecticut, Mia has been able to fight for underrepresented students and create meaningful relationships to help students reach their full potential. Not only has she worked to create an alternative structure for MBA admissions decisions that promotes a more holistic approach to reviewing non-traditional work and educational experiences of applicants, but she also helped launch an online MBA program. Which, in its first year has attracted a higher percentage of female and minority candidates. Mia’s story is not unlike the stories of thousands of other first generation college graduates
Jack Gallagher was a participant in the VSAC Talent Search program starting in middle school, working with Matt Beagle Bourgault at Milton Middle and High Schools. He attended Berea College where he earned a Bachelors degree in Political Science. He was on the speech and debate team and was awarded Kentucky state debate champion during his Sophomore year. He was involved in student government, getting elected as a class senator as early as his Freshman year, and served as a Hall leader. Jack also took his interest in government off campus, working with voter outreach to get more people to vote and moderating a mayoral forum and a city council forum. Said Jack: “My time with VSAC, and at Berea College with other students who all have the same backgrounds and stories, has taught me that all most people are missing is the means and opportunity. I’m incredibly thankful those have been afforded to me and I firmly believe my case isn’t a unique one. I’m grateful for that first investment from VSAC that has allowed me to achieve my academic goals and set me down the path of my financial ones.”
VEOP Celebrates History and Successes
The annual VEOP conference had been scheduled for October at Vermont Technical College. Like so many other things during the pandemic, it was postponed. It was replaced by a VEOP Day of Celebration to be followed by a series of spring online workshops. On January 10th VEOP current and past members gathered online to celebrate our success, to announce annual awards and to hear about the current state of college access in Vermont.
Four awards were presented:
The VEOP Achiever award was presented to Danielle Hume, a former Upward Bound participant at NVU Lyndon
The VEOP Educator of the Year award was presented to Wayland Cole from UVM Upward Bound
The VEOP New Professional award was presented to Jessica Smith from VSAC GEAR UP
The Carolyn Donahue Friend of Equal Opportunity Education award was presented to Peg Hale from Lyndon Institute
Participants also heard from staffers from our delegates in Washington and got an update from the Council for Opportunity in Education.
The highlight of the day was the presence of former recipients of the Jack Anderson Distinguished Service award. This award was established in 1998 to honor the contributions of those people dedicated to college access in Vermont and northern New York. Jack Anderson received the first of these awards and shared his experience with Upward Bound in the early days of the program. Ted Turkle, Karen Scott, Katherine Veilleux, Monica Sargent, Sigh Searles, Charles Castelli, and many others joined to share their stories of the early days of Trio and GEAR UP programming.
At this point the VEOP conference is scheduled to be in person next fall, pandemic allowing.
VSAC receives $2.9 million grant to provide educational opportunities for adult learners
The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), Vermont’s statewide organization supporting education for Vermonters beyond high school, announced that it has received a significant five-year funding extension for its Educational Opportunity Center, which helps Vermont adult learners connect with college and workforce training.
The $2.9 million federal grant allows the EOC to continue its work through 2026. The EOC was founded in 1991 and has helped more than 60,000 adult Vermonters over the last three decades.
“We talk about education as the ‘great equalizer,’” said Scott Giles, VSAC President and CEO. “Thinking about those 60,000 people, and the milestones they’ve been able to achieve in their lives – the families they’ve grown, the businesses they’ve started, and the communities they’ve strengthened – really makes that truth hit home. I’m so proud of the work that VSAC’s counseling team does every day, and I’m grateful to the hard work of our Congressional delegation that will allow that work to continue,” he said.
Governor Phil Scott stressed the importance of continual workforce training, adding that it’s a critical time for growth – both for Vermont and for Vermonters.
“Working to grow Vermont’s workforce and expanding workforce development opportunities have been top priorities for my administration,” said Governor Scott. “This will be even more critical as we work out of the pandemic and rebuild, and programs like this will go a long way in helping Vermonters develop the tools they need to succeed.”
Merrilyn Tatarczuch-Koff, VSAC Director of Vermont’s EOC, said the program works with some 1,600 Vermonters each year who do not have bachelor’s degrees and wish to continue their education. According to Tatarczuch-Koff, EOC counselors, working with numerous community partners, can help their clients, either virtually, by phone, or in person. Seven statewide counselors offer one-on-one counseling in the way of career exploration, identifying educational and professional certification programs, and connecting with funding sources such as scholarships and grants.