If one’s parents did not graduate from college, one is also less likely to pursue college for oneself. It seems logical; while not all parents explicitly encourage their children to follow in their footsteps, it’s only human to talk to your kids more about the life paths you’re familiar with, and harder to actively spark and support their interest in a path you didn’t experience.
This is also reflected in the data. According to VSAC research, here in Vermont, 41% of graduating high school seniors in 2022 were considered first-generation students, meaning that neither of their parents completed a 4-year college degree. While 72% of that entire graduating class planned to go on to college – either at a 2-year or a 4-year 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 paths. And the data show encouraging progress. According to VSAC’s Senior Survey studies, a majority of Vermont’s high school graduating class of 2001 did not have a parent at home who had a four-year degree. However, that had changed by 2014, and in the years since, more and more high school seniors have at least one parent with a bachelor’s degree.
In 2017, the Council for Opportunity in Education launched the inaugural First-Generation College Celebration Day, now celebrated each year on November 8, to honor the success of first-generation college students. 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 this population to continue thriving.
Kirstin Boehm, Director of Career and Education Outreach for VSAC, which has administered the GEAR UP program in Vermont for the last 24 years, estimates that over 75% of the students it serves are first-generation, and over 50% of VSAC’s Outreach staff were also the first in their families to go to college.
“Celebrating First-Gen Day is a way for us to walk our talk,” says Boehm. “We really value the perspective and skills that our First-Gen staff bring. Their lived experiences, combined with their professional skills and expertise, help us shape programming that is accessible, equitable, and meaningful for the students and families we serve.” While First-Generation College Day is about achieving a four-year degree, counselors guide each student to find careers that are meaningful to them by reflecting on the many forms achievement may take. “It’s really important for the students we serve to see themselves in the people who are working with them, no matter what path they end up choosing.”
Jessi Krause Herron, who has worked as a VSAC Outreach counselor for the last seven years, is one such success story. Growing up in Brattleboro, Herron was the oldest of four children raised by a single mother, and the family depended on state programs to cover basic expenses. Despite her humble upbringing, she was always determined that she would go to college. But when the time came to apply, she had to figure out the financial aid forms by herself. “My mom had never even filed taxes, so she had no idea what to do,” she recalls.
Help in completing financial aid applications is just one of the services VSAC Outreach counselors provide to students and families. Herron stresses to students that they don’t have to figure it out alone, and that there are many aid and scholarship programs designed specifically for them. “Under the 802Opportunity program, for instance, you can go to CCV for free or almost free, and we’re here to help you apply,” she says.
Dylan Bertolini, another first-generation college student — and GEAR UP alum — who now counsels students as a VSAC Outreach counselor, also strongly recommends that students check out 802Opportunity.
“Especially for students who don’t know what they want to do, I work hard to convince them to apply for 802Opportunity. That program lets them go to college for free and get ahead in their careers at the same time,” Bertolini says.
Beth Clay, who now works as a VSAC Outreach counselor in Vermont’s Upper Valley, was a first-generation student who wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. She became the first person in her family to graduate from college, earning a bachelor’s, and later a master’s degree, from Plymouth State University. However, she notes that her journey wasn’t a straight line.
As an undergrad, she changed majors a couple of times, unsure what would set her up for the best possible career. She took a semester to work at Walt Disney World, studied abroad in Australia, and also had to pause her education for a semester because of Lyme disease. She also worked full-time while in school to keep on top of her tuition, and attended college close to home – allowing her to live with her grandparents – to minimize her expenses. While it’s never a bad thing to take time for life circumstances or to explore one’s options, Clay encourages students to take advantage of available resources, so even the paths that meander a bit can still be financially feasible.
“There’s something about having people around who have traversed some of the same challenges students encounter – someone to ask questions,” Clay says. “I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I wish there had been something like VSAC when I was growing up in New Hampshire.”
Sarah Friend, a Senior Human Resources Generalist at VSAC, grew up with parents who strongly valued education, but didn’t have the opportunity to earn formal degrees. She put herself through school, from an associate’s degree through a master’s, while working full-time, and she vividly recalls defending her master’s thesis with a newborn baby at home.
“Getting an education is a commitment, and it’s also a lot of work. But it’s well worth it,” she says. “It’s an experience that shapes you in ways that you won’t know until you push yourself and try. It’s growth.”
For Monda Kelley, the growth opportunities that come from higher education aren’t just for the individual; college can also lift future generations out of poverty, and her children are living proof, she says.
Kelley grew up in East Jamaica, Vermont, as one of eight children, two of whom lived with a single parent. With the support of the TRIO Upward Bound Program, she and one of her brothers became the first people in her family to earn a college degree. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in writing from Johnson State College (now Vermont State University – Johnson), Kelley went on to earn her Master of Education from UVM. She’s been a VSAC Outreach counselor for 24 years.
She firmly believes that investing in her education allowed her to break the cycle of generational poverty. “Both of my children graduated from college and have successful careers that they wouldn’t be able to have without a college degree. They also paid off their college debt in less than three years,” she says. “I also hope that I have, over the course of my years with VSAC, helped the students with whom I have worked break the cycle of poverty in their own families.”
VSAC’s Kirstin Boehm echoes the importance of education and training to both Vermont’s success and an individual’s pursuit of what she calls a “meaningful wage,” which she defines as “financial stability that allows individuals to support themselves and their families, and to have the time to do things that make them happy and contribute to vibrant communities.”
Boehm continues, “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 types of credentials in our economy, and our Outreach team is here to help you access any of those things.”
Bertolini, who now counsels students in the Northeast Kingdom, where he grew up, has a simple message for today’s first-generation students. “We can do anything,” he says. “And there are a lot more resources out there than you know. Let us help you find them.”
GEAR UP serves more than 250,000 students throughout the country. Here in Vermont, VSAC’s GEAR UP services are available to eligible students in 37 schools. A full list of those GEAR UP schools can be found at vsac.org/gearup.
For information from VSAC on college and career planning and help with financial aid, see these events and resources. You can also email us info@vsac.org or give us a call at 800-642-3177.
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.
