Cultivating Community Through Life Gap

Amber Moriglioni always knew that attending college was an important step toward reaching her dreams of working with young students. She started at CCV in 2022 pursuing a degree in behavioral science, with the plan to transfer and complete a 4-year degree after graduating in 2025. “I really hope to work as a behavioral specialist or as a guidance counselor, specifically in the public school system,” she said. “I think there’s a lot that could be helped and I really want to be a part of implementing some of those changes.” 

While going to college was an easy choice, what hasn’t been easy is life getting in the way. But Amber was able to access  CCV’s Life Gap program, designed to connect students with resources to continue their education when life happens. “I first heard about the Life Gap program when my car broke down and I was stressed because I took all in-person classes.” she said. The Life Gap grant helped her pay to get it fixed and get her to class, no strings attached. “I’ve never been more grateful for anything in my life,” Amber said.

The Life Gap program started with  Life Gap grants, just-in-time scholarships to support students when unexpected needs come up that could interrupt their education, such as car repairs, sudden child care loss, and computer or internet problems. Over time, it has grown into Life Gap Plus, addressing student needs on a more holistic level by offering Student Resource Centers, peer mentors, and food assistance. These additions don’t just help students through urgent challenges, but help set them up for success before those situations arise.

“Life Gap is there to make college really accessible. CCV is really good at recognizing students as  whole people, the same thing with the Life Gap program,” said CCV Resource Manager Liz Jarvis. “We want to make sure that you don’t just have the education that you need to complete your academic career, but you also have the resources you need to get there.”

Amber has been able to combine her passion for helping others and her personal experiences with the Life Gap program by becoming a peer mentor in the CCV-Rutland Student Resource Center (SRC). As a peer mentor, Amber shares community resources with her fellow students and helps create a community space within the SRC. “I’m just here to be a beacon of information and a resource if you just need to come chill out,” Amber said. “When they find out that I’m also just a student it sparks regular conversations…I’m hoping to cultivate more of that.”

Student Resource Centers are available in eight of CCV’s academic centers and include information about community resources, snacks for students, and space for them to spend their time. “They’re a hub where students can go where they already are, which is school, and find out some information on how to address different life problems that can follow you,” said Liz. “[SRCs] take different forms in different centers, and they should—it’s based on what that community has for resources and what the student needs are.”

To Amber, the SRCs provide valuable resources that students can utilize beyond their time at CCV, but also a physical space for students to connect with one another and feel that they belong. “Actually having a space is really nice where it’s very obvious when you walk in you can have a snack, sit down, play games – this isn’t a part of anything academically, this is just you being a person and being around others who are in a similar circumstance as you…seeing actual friendships come from a school area is neat to see and I love being a part of it.”

In addition to the grants, SRCs, and food resources offered, the Life Gap Plus program now offers a laptop lending program. CCV students can borrow a laptop for educational purposes for one semester at a time. These laptops are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis and are installed with commonly used student applications. Amber was able to borrow a laptop for a class rather than go to the center to use the computer lab. “It was super easy,” she said. “I just explained the situation I was in, and just the empathy of other people is what got me through.”

Amber is just one of many students the Life Gap Plus program has supported, and through her work as a peer mentor she continues to offer that help to others while cultivating a sense of community and belonging at CCV. “We want you to succeed and have a good experience,” she said. “The Life Gap Plus program, the grant and Student Resource Center, all just make it a little bit easier to navigate life and education.”