For students like Gretchen Sausville, Katie Bailey, and Arlena Tyler, higher education is a selfless pursuit. Gretchen is a single mother and early childhood educator. Katie is a soon-to-be Montessori teacher. Arlena, who plans to become a therapist, is also the mom of a two-year-old; she says her primary motivation for persisting at CCV was to provide for her family.
All three are recent CCV graduates who reached the finish line with support from Life Gap Grants, small scholarships that help students get through unexpected circumstances and stay in school. Life Gap is funded solely by philanthropy, and it provides direct support to students. They can use the money for food, transportation, healthcare, child care—anything that stands in their way of continuing their classes.
Measurable Outcomes
Data show that Life Gap Grants have a real impact on outcomes. Grant recipients have a 66% persistence rate compared to 55% for their non-recipient peers. Completion rates are 32% for recipients compared to 21% for non-recipients. Perhaps most notably, students who receive multiple Life Gap Grants graduate at a rate 27% higher than students who receive just one grant.
And beyond the numbers, students who receive Life Gap Grants report a boost in morale; one fall 2025 survey respondent shared that Life Gap “reminded me that I’m not alone in this journey—that CCV truly cares about my success and wants me to reach my goals.”
Getting to the Finish Line
Katie Bailey received three Life Gap Grants. “Having this opportunity directly through CCV was huge for me,” she shared. “It reduced the anxiety and stress I was feeling in terms of balancing my goal of finishing my education and supporting myself. I do believe the money prevented me from any further pauses in my educational journey and provided the ‘lift’ I needed to feel secure in continuing my education and getting to the finish line.”
Bailey, who graduated from CCV in 2024, is currently wrapping up a bachelor’s degree at Southern New Hampshire University and will begin a new job as a Montessori teacher in the coming months.
Simplicity and Inclusivity
For first-generation college graduate Arlena Tyler, there were many moments of wanting to give up. At one point when her laptop stopped working, “I was ready to be like ‘college is not for me,’” she shared. “I’m the first in my family to ever go to college so I had no one to turn to and be like ‘what do I do now?’ I felt like it was an uphill battle.” But Life Gap, she said, “was pretty pivotal to the fact that I continued and graduated.”
Arlena Tyler is completing a degree at Vermont State University with plans to pursue a master’s degree and become a therapist.
Part of what makes Life Gap so effective is a philosophy of simplicity and inclusivity. CCV’s financial aid team strives for an award process that is equitable and accessible, allocating limited resources to meet the greatest need. Students apply online by answering just four questions about their situation. Grants are given to students statewide and are $500 or less, with an average amount of $422. The program is designed to provide rapid support, and awards are typically made within 24-48 hours of receiving an application.
Ten Years of Life Gap
Gretchen Sausville is a single mother and pre-K teacher in Bennington County. “Without Life Gap, I wouldn’t have been able to get the materials I needed for my classes,” she said. “I really don’t think that I would have been able to afford all of the things that I needed to get through school and live my life without the Life Gap Grants.”
There were “so many times when I wanted to quit,” she said, but she was buoyed by the people and programs at CCV. After losing her father in the middle of one semester, “people rallied around [me], and were calling me and helping support me and giving me pointers on what to do.” It was during this time she was connected with Life Gap. “I was able to get additional coverage to support me through that really tumultuous time in my life, and I finished the semester and didn’t stop my classes.” Sausville benefitted from six Life Gap Grants, and graduated from CCV in June 2026. Equipped with an associate degree, she’s now qualified to be a lead teacher.
This year, CCV is celebrating the ten-year anniversary of the Life Gap initiative. Today, the program has expanded into a multi-faceted student support system, integrating direct financial assistance with robust resource coordination, a growing peer-to-peer outreach network, and community partnerships.
To learn more about Life Gap Plus visit ccv.edu/studentresources. Are you a student interested in applying for a Life Gap Grant? Visit ccv.edu/lifegap.
