Young Mother Finds Her Nursing Path Through Early College and the Free Degree Promise

Kallie Carter was searching for her next step long before her senior year of high school began.

“I needed more—I needed something to reach for,” she said. “I’m very future-oriented, and through high school I could not see my future.”

That changed when a Community College of Vermont (CCV) advisor visited her health professions program at the Center for Technology in Essex. Hearing about Early College—an opportunity to spend her senior year taking full-time college courses at no cost—gave her a clear next step.

“I never had to think twice,” Kallie said. “I went home and I talked to my parents and I said, ‘hey, this is what I want to do for my senior year.’”

What began as a search for an alternative path to graduation became the foundation for Kallie’s future in nursing: a path that would carry her through college, motherhood, and into a promising healthcare career.

A 2024 graduate of South Burlington High School, Kallie enrolled in Early College at CCV’s Winooski campus and went on to earn her associate degree in health sciences in 2025 through Vermont’s Free Degree Promise. Through the Free Degree Promise—which covers a second year of tuition, fees, and financial support for costs like books and transportation—she was able to graduate debt-free, an opportunity she says made all the difference.

Today, at just 19, Kallie has a college degree and is continuing in the nursing program at Vermont State University’s (VTSU) Williston campus.

“My parents never went to college and didn’t get a degree, so they make average money, so cost was a big thing,” she explained. “I didn’t have the money, and neither did my parents. So, it was really nice to have my first two years covered and not to have to worry.”

For Kallie, CCV offered something she hadn’t experienced before: flexibility, independence, and a direct connection to her goals. After spending her first semester taking classes in person, she completed the rest of her degree online, an option that allowed her to keep working while staying on track academically.

“I liked how I could be flexible. I could work while also doing school online,” she said. “And that made me want to continue.”

While enrolled, Kallie worked as a caregiver at an independent living community in Essex, gaining hands-on experience with patients. She found herself drawn to the work.

“I loved working with the elderly population,” she said, describing responsibilities like bathing, feeding, and assisting with mobility. Those experiences reinforced a calling that had been growing since childhood.

“I love helping people,” Kallie said. “I watched my great grandparents pass away from being sick and it really changed me. I really wanted to help, and I didn’t know what I was doing. I couldn’t help.”

At CCV, she found not only the academic preparation she needed in foundational courses like anatomy and physiology, but also a level of support that helped her succeed.

“Ian, he was my academic advisor, and I adored him. He was awesome,” she said. “CCV just set me up so perfectly.”

That sense of connection stood out, especially as she transitioned to the next phase of her education. Now enrolled in the nursing program at VTSU, Kallie is mapping out each step of her career. She’s currently working toward her LPN credential, with plans to continue toward an RN license.

“I love to think about how to get to the next step,” she said. “That’s my plan, to keep stacking those credentials.”

Her long-term goal is to work with children, possibly in pediatrics, the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), or labor and delivery. That goal became even more personal during her final year at CCV.

In the fall of her second year at CCV, Kallie learned she was pregnant. She gave birth to her son, Beckham, just a week before graduating, and he spent time in the NICU.

“I had some good experiences with nurses, but some bad, and it just changed my perspective,” she said. “I really wanted to help my child in that moment, but I also want to be the nurse who is able to support the parents as well.”

Now living in Fletcher with her fiancé and their one-year-old son, Kallie is balancing the demands of motherhood with the rigor of nursing school. Her experience as a young parent has only strengthened her resolve.

“You have to have a degree to be a nurse and work in a specific department,” she said. “Without this degree, I definitely wouldn’t be able to do what I want to.”

Looking back, Kallie believes programs like Early College and the Free Degree Promise don’t just accelerate education, they open doors that might otherwise feel out of reach.

“Going to Early College was different,” she said. “It was a challenge and it’s a big opportunity. You get to take the classes you want, and you can choose your own path—and it’s free.”

She also sees room for improvement in the traditional high school experience, especially for students like her who are eager for something more hands-on and career-focused.

“Regular high school needs to have more options,” she said. “They need more hands-on or applied learning.”

She imagines a system where students can explore careers earlier and more directly, regardless of whether they attend a traditional high school or a tech center.

“Make career pathways more visible. Let students try out different careers for a week so they can do a test run,” she said.

Through it all, her family has been a steady source of encouragement.

“They’ve always wanted the best for me,” Kallie said. “When I felt like giving up, they just pushed. They told me, ‘you got this. Look at you go!’”

That support, combined with the opportunities she found through CCV, helped her find a purposeful path to a promising career.