If your parents did not graduate from college, you’re also less likely to pursue higher education for yourself. According to VSAC research, 41% of Vermont high school seniors in 2022 were considered first-generation students, meaning that neither of their parents completed a 4-year college degree. While 70% of that entire graduating class planned to go on to either a 2-year or a 4-year college program, that percentage fell to 58% among those students who were first-generation.
Federally-funded programs like VSAC’s GEAR UP program—which provides additional supports to first-generation students at the middle and high school level to help them aspire to, and enroll in, higher education—are working to help students find their path after high school.
Every year on November 8, the Council for Opportunity in Education marks First-Generation College Celebration Day. The event serves as a reminder of the systemic barriers preventing many students from accessing higher education, and of the supports that are still needed for these students to continue thriving.
Kirstin Boehm, Senior Director of Outreach, Research, and Development for VSAC, which has administered the GEAR UP program in Vermont for the last 25 years, estimates that over 75% of the students it serves are first-generation, and over 50% of its own Outreach staff were also the first in their families to go to college.
“We really value the perspective and skills that our first-gen staff bring,” says Boehm. “Their lived experiences help us shape programming that is accessible, equitable, and meaningful for the students and families we serve. It’s really important for the students we serve to see themselves in the people who are working with them.”
Reducing the intimidation factor
Kassidy Moore, who advises students in the Upper Valley, grew up in Maine in a modest-income family. Neither of her parents graduated from college. When she decided she was interested in applying, a Maine-based organization similar to VSAC was there to help. “We had no idea where to even start. It can feel really intimidating to look at the price of education, the difficulty of the application and financial aid process, and the hurdles of transitioning to a college-level workload. Having someone who can walk you through the process and help you make the best decision for you and your family is invaluable. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you that you can do it, that you deserve this opportunity, and that it’s okay to not have it all figured out,” says Moore, who now fills that role in a big way with the students she advises.
“Kassidy was fantastic. She opened my eyes to so many different things, and she was one of my number-one supporters,” says Zofia Kosakowski, a first-generation student from Fairlee who is now a freshman at the University of Vermont. “I met with her every Tuesday. We checked in on my progress, and she helped me with my essay. Sometimes it was more of an emotional check-in. I loved working with her, and I always looked forward to Tuesdays.”
Financial aid isn’t magic, but it helps to have a guide
Carrie Harlow, who is now VSAC’s Resource Center Advisor, says she was once one of these first-generation, college-bound students. Even though her mother worked two and sometimes three jobs, she struggled to make ends meet. Harlow’s parents were divorced, and while they were supportive of her continuing her education, their experience was limited, and their advice consisted of “get good grades so you can get scholarships.”
Like Moore, Harlow utilized the resources available at her local community college to earn college credits while she was still in high school, which helped. Harlow also credits an “angel” in the financial aid office at Castleton State College (now VTSU-Castleton) who helped her understand her aid eligibility. While she thought at the time that the financial aid system was some sort of “magic formula,” she now knows it depends on family income information and family circumstances, and she works with Vermont families and students to help them present their financial need stories. She also stresses that “there are no stupid questions. I remember how my mom was initially afraid to ask questions, and I keep her in mind whenever I work with students and families.”
Refocusing after a family tragedy
Chris Barry was one of Carrie Harlow’s advisees earlier in Harlow’s career, when she was a VSAC Outreach Counselor working with middle and high school students in Vergennes. Harlow and her colleague, Matt “Beagle” Bourgault, helped Barry rise above a family tragedy that almost kept him from going to college. “My mom had passed away when I was about to enter ninth grade, and that sent me in a tailspin of disinterest,” he says. “Fortunately, I had begun working with Carrie in middle school and she had a huge hand in re-shaping my trajectory with direction and resiliency.” After transferring to Burlington High School, Beagle helped him tie up the loose ends and get admitted to Johnson State College (now VTSU-Johnson).
Barry ended up transferring to Keuka College to pursue a major that he was passionate about: American Sign Language. He moved to Alaska for a job opportunity, and while he was there, he completed his master’s in corporate and organizational communications and leadership through Northeastern University. “Education is worth the investment, but don’t do it just to do it,” says Barry; “find your passions and search for ways to incorporate them into your educational journey and career path.” He is now a member of VSAC’s Career and Education Outreach department.
VSAC’s Kirstin Boehm notes that higher education is a key building block for individual growth and success, and the growth of Vermont’s economy. “Vermont needs people with the skills that education and training provide. There are so many pathways, including apprenticeships, certificates, and two- and four- year degrees. We need all of these credentials in our economy, and our Outreach team is here to help you access any of those things.”
This story is produced by Vermont Student Assistance Corp., created by the Vermont Legislature in 1965 as a public nonprofit agency, to advocate for Vermont students and their families to ensure that they achieve their education goals. Our vision is to create opportunities for all Vermont students, but particularly for those—of any age—who believe that the doors to higher education are closed to them. We begin by helping families save for education with Vermont’s state-sponsored 529 savings program. To help Vermonters plan and pay for college or career training, our counselors work with students in nearly every Vermont middle school and high school, and again as adults. Our grant and scholarship programs attract national recognition, and our loan programs and loan forgiveness programs are saving Vermont families thousands of dollars in interest. Visit vsac.org to learn more.
Read the story on VTDigger here: First-generation college grads offer perspective, wisdom—and college counseling.