Patrick Rogers graduated from high school in the year 2000—“you know, when we all thought the world was ending,” he says.
While it’s funny to think about now, Patrick still finds relevance in it. As the Associate Director of Admissions for Vermont State University (VTSU), he’s always looking for ways to connect his own experience to today’s students. “Almost all students feel that way to some degree at the end of high school, because it’s hard to imagine what comes next. Even if you think your life is going to take you in a certain direction, the future often turns out very differently than we imagine.”
This was the case for Patrick, who grew up in South Londonderry, Vermont, and was exploring going to college out of state. “For me, it was about where I could find the most opportunity.” After his dad passed away from cancer at a young age, his mom raised Patrick and his two older siblings on her own, working long days as a daycare provider along with several extra jobs to provide for her family. Patrick thought an out-of-state school would be the best way to propel himself upward, and he wanted to leave home and see new places.
The VSAC Talent Search Outreach Counselor he worked with at Green Mountain Union High School, Lise Duncan, quickly understood that. “She took such care throughout the process,” Patrick recalls. “I remember checking in with her and talking about what my future could be. She supported me as I applied to a lot of schools, and it was good for me to explore those options. Lise never boxed me in and never pushed one thing over another. But she did make sure I understood both the benefits and the long-term costs.”
Patrick received a lot of acceptance letters, but he says it was the financial aid packages that brought him the most clarity. In the end, he landed at Johnson State College (now the Johnson campus of Vermont State University), which, he says, allowed him to be away from home at an affordable cost. He majored in business, played rugby, made lifelong friends, and was still able to discover new places. He traveled to the Cayman Islands as part of a class on offshore investment, went to Ireland, and also discovered hidden gems within Vermont’s borders.
“Being from southern Vermont and going to school in the northern part of the state, I ended up hiking in places I’d never heard of before. My favorite kayaking spot was Green River, and I remember a lot of the locals didn’t even know where that was,” says Patrick.
A student internship in Johnson’s conferences and events department, where Patrick did everything from setting up tables to meeting with clients, eventually connected him to his first job in college admissions. “The events job taught me how much I liked working with individuals and groups and helping them find solutions. After helping with a lot of admissions events, they called me when a job opened up, and 20 years later, here I am.”
Patrick’s career has taken him full circle, from Johnson State College, to NVU Lyndon, to NVU Johnson, to Castleton State College, to VTSU. His current role includes recruiting at high schools and college fairs across New England, as well as interviewing prospective students and reviewing their applications.
“Our jobs have transitioned with the merger [of Johnson, Lyndon, and Castleton into Vermont State University]. At one time, I recruited for just one school. Now, I recruit for multiple campuses and online programs, and for more than 100 academic programs offered by VTSU. So my job is more like counseling,” he says. “As the Associate Director of Admissions, I leverage my own experiences to guide students toward making informed decisions about their education, just as my VSAC counselor did for me.”
Patrick also notes that the connection between VTSU and VSAC goes beyond his own personal experience, extending to the missions of both organizations.
“Our partnership with VSAC continues to be a cornerstone of our mission at VTSU. Together, we provide students with the resources and support they need to succeed,” he says. “I’m grateful to be able to work with VSAC counselors as they support students on their journey into higher education.”
“Students and families are fortunate that our small state offers so many opportunities for education after high school,” said Scott Giles, VSAC President and CEO. “From college to job training, Vermont’s education community continues to expand ways in which students can get the background they need for the jobs that they want. VTSU’s five campuses offer a broad spectrum of academic and life experiences to prepare students for the future.”
Patrick notes that he’s seen students’ needs and expectations shift over the last several years. The expansion of internet access, and the wealth of digital information students now have at their fingertips, has given students more agency, he says. “They’re more open to new and different experiences, and they know what they want.” Patrick sees a lot of students taking advantage of a new VTSU policy allowing online students to live on campus. “They want a community, but they also want the freedom that technology allows,” he notes, adding that students also have many more, and better-paying, job opportunities than he had in college. “Students have to balance a lot of opportunities while they’re getting their education, and flexibility is important.”
When asked what advice he would give Vermonters approaching their own college decision, he encourages students to seek open-mindedness and affordability—two values that factored into his own success.
“Try to second-guess your own assumptions,” says Patrick. “And don’t limit yourself based on one person’s opinion. Take advice from a lot of different people—your parents, friends who know you well, your school counselor, your VSAC counselor, and others—then put it all into a grid that you can use to build some logic into your decision. Also, make sure you include return on investment. That ROI doesn’t have to be completely financial, but think about your expectations, and then for each of the schools on your list, ask yourself, ‘does this place meet it?’”
“Affordability is a big part of it,” Patrick stresses. “And not just ‘can I pay for it,’ but ‘does this help me create a life after college that I can afford and be successful in?’ That’s a huge part of my work with students and families. It’s a tough decision, and a very personal one.”
For Patrick, choosing Vermont State University allowed him to graduate with minimal debt, which he says has been invaluable in his career and personal life. “That decision not only provided me with an affordable education, but also opened doors to opportunities I never imagined,” he says. “This personal experience fuels my passion for helping students navigate their own paths. I’m committed to ensuring that today’s students can achieve the same financial freedom and success that I found at VTSU.”
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: VTSU admissions leader and VSAC alum finds valuable lessons in his own college experience.