Leahy Center Looking to Help

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Created on Wednesday, 03 April 2013 20:11
Written by Kevin Lessard

leahy centerSUTTON - For many young students in the Northeast Kingdom, attending college can be difficult.

At times it may seem scary, unobtainable, or even impossible, but the Leahy Center for Rural Students is looking hoping to ease the minds of those students.

 

The center, which is named after Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy and his wife Marcelle, obtained funding for the center through a congressionally directed grant. They conduct research and review research on factors that influence rural first generation college students.

Representatives from the center recently visited the Sutton School, where they talked with fifth and sixth graders about their future.

“I think they are having a central dialogue at a critical age,” said Brittany Lavery, who works for the center. “They are going through a lot of changes and it’s essential that they start thinking about their future so it becomes more real to them.”

Lavery herself attended college after growing up in a rural area. She says that she’s gotten a lot of positive feedback from student’s teachers about what the program has done for their students. “A lot of teachers I have been working with have pulled me aside and said ‘hey, you know what’s great? My student said to me the other day that they didn’t think they could go to college until they started doing this program, so I want to thank you’.”

The Leahy Center is located at Lyndon State College, and is hoping to do more outreach to various schools in the coming years.