At VLACS, we believe that education is about discovering who you are and what you love to do. That spirit of discovery is exactly what the Norma McGarr Award celebrates. Created in memory of courageous and dedicated VLACS instructor Norma McGarr, this award grants up to $1,500 to graduating seniors who share Norma’s optimism, determination, and love of learning. The funds are designed to bridge the gap between high school and the professional world, helping students turn their personal passions into thriving careers.
This year, we are proud to celebrate fourteen outstanding seniors who received this honor: Jaede Belanger, Judson Cable, Justin DeCarolis, Chloe Fredriksen, Holden Fuster, Keagan Hughes, Leanna Hughes, Norah King, Addison Kinne, Ava Meloni, Jasper Peacock, Vaibhav Rastogi, Hannah Steele, and Zachary Thornton. Below, four of these students share their journeys and give us a glimpse into how they are building their futures.
Jaede Belanger: Future Aerospace Welder
Jaede knows where she is headed, and her sights are set high—literally. As a future aerospace welder, Jaede used the flexibility of VLACS to focus on her academics while having the free time and stress-free environment needed to prepare for her specialized career path.
“VLACS enabled me to focus on academics and allowed me to have free time to focus on my interests and have no stress about money,” said Jaede. She is grateful that her award will help ease the rising costs of college. “It’s saving me a lot of money at the start so I don’t go into debt later on.”
Post-Graduation Plans: Jaede will be attending Manchester Community College to earn an associate’s degree in Welding Technology.
How the Award Will Help: She will use the award funds to buy all the essential tools and protective equipment she needs for her degree and apprenticeship, saving her money and keeping her out of debt as she jumpstarts her career. Her ultimate goal is to become an aerospace welder.
Jaede’s Advice to Fellow Students: “Your advisory is going to be your strength and is how you will learn to turn your hobbies or passions into a career. Another thing is you need to surround yourself with people who will support you and or are likeminded. A final piece of solid advice I beg others to take is you need to tap into your resources, that is going to help you grow interest and get opportunities to be serious about your hobbies and or interests. Never compare your path to someone else’s, it’s YOUR path to make and travel on, your path is as unique as you.”
Judson Cable: Future IT Professional
Judson has been fascinated by computers since he was 12 years old, and says it has always been his dream to work in IT. He loves the hands-on process of building computers, but it wasn’t until he took the CompTIA A+ Core 1 course during his senior year that he realized the many exciting areas of computer science, like networking and cloud computing. “VLACS has been such a great option for me since it allows me to work at my own pace,” said Judson, “and includes great elective courses like this that can help jumpstart a career.”
Post-Graduation Plans: Judson plans to earn his full CompTIA A+ certification for entry-level IT positions.
How the Award Will Help: He will be using the McGarr funds to pay for the CompTIA A+ Core 2 course, the fees for both certification tests, and the physical certificate.
Judson’s Advice to Fellow Students: “My advice to others who are struggling to choose a career is to look inward. Don’t let others dictate what career you should pursue. I often get asked by others if I’m gonna work for my dad, or go into the trades, and I have a lot of respect for the people who do pursue that path. But for me personally, it’s not something I’m interested in. And most importantly, I love computers, and working with them brings me a lot of joy. So don’t let others tell you what career you should choose.”
Hannah Steele: Future Full-Time Photographer
Hannah discovered her passion for photography through hands-on courses at VLACS during middle and high school. What started as a small interest quickly blossomed into a small business and a career goal, thanks to the skills and inspiration she found in her classes.
“I strongly believe that my business would not be as successful as it is without the application of the many skills I learned through the photography courses provided by VLACS,” said Hannah.
Post-Graduation Plans: Hannah is focusing on building a website and more intentional marketing for her photography business, with the ultimate goal of becoming a full-time portrait, lifestyle, and wedding photographer.
How the Award Will Help: She is using the McGarr Award funds to upgrade her gear with a new professional-grade camera, instantly elevating the quality of her photography and drawing more interest to her business.
Hannah’s Advice to Fellow Students: “It is so important to remember that your passions and hobbies are a huge part of what makes you who you are, and that should be cherished… It is crucial to remind yourself that the blockades that will turn up are just opportunities to learn and fine tune your skills. Don’t lose sight of the love you have for a passion that could be used to bless others through a future career just because stumbling blocks turn up.”
Keagan Hughes: Future Game Designer
For Keagan, VLACS was the perfect place to dive headfirst into the world of gaming technology.
By taking courses like History of Gaming & Esports, Cloud Technologies and Internet of Things, Animation, and Principles of IT, Keagan has turned a passion for gaming into a focused career trajectory.
Post-Graduation Plans: Keagan is working towards a certification in game design and will be attending college for a four-year bachelor’s degree in the field.
How the Award Will Help: Keagan will use the McGarr Award funds to purchase a high-performance gaming laptop equipped to handle the heavy processing demands of modern game design.
Keagan’s Advice to Fellow Students: “Try new things, take whatever opportunity you can get and make the effort to reserve time for your interests—that way you can learn more about them and engage in them as much as possible.”
Transforming a passion into a profession takes hard work, but as these four students have shown, the reward is well worth the effort. We are so proud of the optimism, determination, and courage displayed by all twelve of our Norma McGarr Award recipients this year.
Congratulations to Judson, Keagan, Jaede, Hannah, and the rest of our winners. We wish you nothing but the best as you step out to make your mark on the world!
