"I Know I Can Get There"

Ronette Daniels
CCV Springfield

Born and raised a city kid in Connecticut, Ronette Daniels was a divorcing parent of five boys, three of them disabled, when she moved to Bellows Falls three years ago and found CCV. She wanted to earn a degree. “I’m very good at my jobs: I always get promotions, I get put in charge, but no title, no pay. I wanted to be able to say, ‘This is my position, and I deserve this.’

“My first semester at CCV, I took Basic Algebra and Dimensions of Learning, which gets you ready to learn. I loved that! So my next semester was a full-time course load, and I’ve been going full-time ever since.”

With financial support from Vermont’s Post-Secondary Education Program, a program designed to help students overcome social and economic barriers to education, Ronette has earned a 3.8 grade point average. “I really like CCV. I’ve met great faculty members, who really know how to engage with students.” She’s working toward an associate degree in human services, with the ultimate goal of earning a master’s in social work. “I’m more confident in myself, and I know I can get there."

“My academic advisor at CCV is wonderful! I’m in her office almost every week, just to talk. And I like the courses I’ve taken, like bioethics, that really connect to the world around you. I’ve learned a lot about women’s history, my own history, African-American history — and I’ve come to see things in a broader sense. Everything isn’t black and white. There are deeper layers to who we are and how we treat each other."

“I can’t talk enough about the environment that CCV creates for its students: adults, teenagers, single parents, whoever. Everyone is truly, genuinely interested in how I’m doing. I’ll be sad to leave!”