“When I say Miss Danielle is my mom, everyone says how much they love her,” shared Lee Blanco. His mom is a teacher at Albany Community School, and Lee draws inspiration from the connection she builds with her students. “She does this thing as a teacher where she makes a point of calling all of her kids’ parents the first week of classes. That’s so inspiring to me because you need that connection. It makes me think about what it means for people and what I could do myself for others,” he added.
And think, he has. Lee thought about what he could do for others a lot, and landed on psychiatric nursing. (He’d originally thought about going into the trades and becoming a tattoo artist, but after practicing for a while he realized he didn’t enjoy it as much as he hoped.) He started taking classes at North Country Career Center (NCCC) in the health sciences program and quickly realized how much he liked science, biology in particular. He looked into nursing, and after a bit more research, decided to pursue a path to psychiatric nursing.
Drawing on his own challenges
Lee has known since he was eight years old that he was trans but says that he found it really hard to come out, especially when he would hear things from some parts of his community that were unfriendly to trans people. He started socially transitioning at age 12 and identifies as a transgender man.
His mom helped him through a lot of it. She herself grew up with two moms in Ohio and had her own challenging experiences. Lee shared that she was both so worried for him, but also his biggest supporter throughout the process. His dad encouraged him too. “It was harder for him to get used to the idea,” Lee shared. “But he’s come along and he’s working really hard at it.”
“Part of why I want to work in psychiatric medicine with adolescents specifically is because a large percent of trans youth end up experiencing a mental health crisis at some point in their life,” Lee said. “I’d like to show that trans individuals can grow past adolescence and grow and thrive in their futures, too.”
Dreaming big and showing up
A senior at Lake Region Union High School (LRUHS), Lee is well on his way. He applied to Plymouth State University and was accepted. He’s also bringing with him six college credits from NCCC, and a few Advanced Placement credits from LRUHS.
Lee is adamant about his potential. “You can succeed as a transgender person,” he said. “There’s a lot less trans representation in STEM fields. It’s part of why I really want to show people who need to see this that it can be done.”
He’s dreaming big too. He’s interested in eventually getting his Doctorate and licensing as a Nurse Practitioner. He notes that rural areas across the United States have a lot of need, especially for support of adolescents.
Outside of school, Lee has historically volunteered at the local animal shelter, a few elementary after-school programs within Orleans County, and helped with setting up the Joshua Warming Shelter in Newport. He’s working toward founding a club at his school to raise funds for the shelter. At school, he’s involved in theater, where he’s found community and the opportunity for personal growth, and Cooking Club, which got him a place in Vermont’s Junior Iron Chef competition. “It’s really fun,” he shared. “I can express myself and be who I want to be, it’s amazing.”
Lee’s parents were both in the military. While they are no longer together, they are doing their best to support Lee. His dad originally encouraged his interest in tattooing as a trade, as he himself is successful as an electrician. His mom supported him to go the college route, and Lee was inspired by her commitment to her own education.
Finding motivation and purpose
Lee is incredibly motivated, especially as the pieces are clicking into place for him for college. But he didn’t always have it all figured out. A few years ago, he wasn’t planning to go to college. He was apprehensive of tuition bills and struggling with the idea of having a lot of education debt. He also struggled with the idea of graduating from high school without a plan for his future.
VSAC was able to address Lee’s concerns. Since middle school, Lee had been working with Dylan Bertolini, an outreach counselor with VSAC’s GEAR UP college and career readiness program. As high school graduation grew closer, Dylan helped Lee think about opportunities after high school and what help was available to get him there. Dylan also helped him understand that an accessible financial aid package could make Lee’s dreams possible. Lee says that Dylan’s guidance made a huge difference, and between VSAC and encouragement from his parents, he began to put ideas together.
“I’ve scraped together a package that is starting to work for me,” Lee said. “This would have been so hard without VSAC and I don’t think I would have even been able to dream it, much less do it, without them.” With Dylan’s help, Lee is working to close the gap between his college costs and his financial aid package. And, he has one more round of scholarships he’s applying for right now.
“When I have a study hall and Dylan is here, I meet with him,” Lee shared. “We talk about financial aid, my Vermont Grant application, and we try to make sure everything is ready to go. The VSAC booklet has also been really helpful, especially as I’ve been planning out what I need to apply for and what documents I need. Throughout this whole process, VSAC’s been there for me.”
Putting the pieces together
As Lee began putting the pieces together—an interest in nursing and mental health, good grades in the sciences, a passion for helping others, and the possibility of financial aid to help him pursue his goals—he realized he could maybe, just maybe go to college himself. He still needs to finish the final few steps to close out his senior year, but he’s motivated to get it done.
One thing is for sure: Lee Blanco is demonstrating a path to success—in STEM—for those who come after him.
The Vermont Student Assistance Corp. was created by the Vermont Legislature in 1965 as a public nonprofit agency. We advocate for Vermont students and their families to ensure that they have the tools they need to achieve their education and training goals. We create opportunities for all Vermont students, but particularly for those—of any age—who believe that the doors to education are closed to them. Growing families save for education with VT529, Vermont’s official 529 savings program. To help Vermonters plan and pay for college or job training, our counselors work with students in nearly every Vermont middle school and high school, and are also available to work with adults. Our grant, scholarship, and workforce development programs create opportunity, help students re-skill or learn new skills, and grow the economy. VSAC’s loan, loan refinance, and loan forgiveness programs provide competitive education financing to students and families. Find us at www.vsac.org or visit Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
