Motivated to Learn

“My education journey has definitely not been the standard,” said CCV alumna Renae DiGregorio. But, following the standard doesn’t always dictate success. Renae has multiple accomplishments under her belt, including becoming a recent graduate of Champlain College with a bachelor’s degree in accounting while being a new mom of two and working full-time for the state of Vermont.

When she graduated from high school, to the surprise of many of her peers, Renae decided to  forgo college (for the time being) and jump into the workforce. Her widespread interests meant she couldn’t narrow down a path for education, so she started working at the local credit union, and moved on to working for the state of Vermont in the tax department when she was 20 years old. “Taxation isn’t for everybody,” she said. “But I fell in love with it.”

After working for the state for a couple of years, she learned about CCV’s Prior Learning Assessment program, which offers credit for knowledge gained in the workplace. “I was like ‘well, I’ve got a few years of experience under my belt, I wonder if I can start this and get a kickstart on my degree,’” Renae said. She took the Assessment of Prior Learning (APL) course, a three-credit, semester-long course where students create a portfolio documenting their learning in a variety of subject areas, allowing them to earn credits for what they know. 

Renae took the APL course in the fall 2019 semester and earned nearly 40 credits, over half of an associate degree in liberal studies, which gave her the push to continue. Through her time at the College, she worked full-time, had her first child, and experienced some of life’s curveballs. “The comfort and support that I received during that time stood out to me at CCV. I felt like I was supported and it was okay that I was going through this, and when I was ready to get back on my feet I was able to do that,” she said. “[CCV staff] fostered a positive and supportive environment my entire time there.”

After graduating from CCV in the spring of 2021, she started at Champlain that fall to work towards a bachelor’s degree in accounting, which directly related to her career in taxation. “Starting at CCV taught me those skills I needed to study full-time at Champlain. I already had the structure down, I already had my routine and just my basic fundamentals,” Renae said. “I was able to graduate with no debt and have my associate degree. It was such a good environment for me to get my feet back into education…CCV taught me how to be a learner again.”

CCV offers a seamless transfer pathway to Champlain, ensuring that credits earned at CCV will be accepted as credits towards a bachelor’s degree. The Champlain accounting program also caught Renae’s eye because it was an online program with accelerated courses, which fit in with her busy schedule. She graduated from Champlain with her B.S. in accounting at the end of the fall 2024 semester with alpha sigma lambda honors.

Renae is currently the assistant director of finance in the Vermont department of taxes, and says that CCV has helped her to get to this place in her career: “[CCV] taught me a lot of interpersonal skills that helped me be a better leader and communicator.” In the future, she plans to pursue her master’s degree in public administration and become a certified public accountant.

Renae had two main motivators for pursuing higher education, which helped her push through the long nights of studying: her children and her drive for success. “It was really important to me to show both of my girls that education is really important and you need to do it even if it’s hard,” said. Additionally, “I want to be very successful in my career and in order to do that I think that everybody should have a diverse education…getting my degrees has taught me how to be a better problem-solver and has made me more wholesome as a person.”