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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT ANSON SMITH AT 203-332-5220 HCC STUDENT AMANDA BARRETT TAKES THE EDUCATIONAL “ROAD LESS TRAVELED BY”BRIDGEPORT – When it comes to education, Housatonic Community College student Amanda Barrett is no stranger to “the road less traveled by.” 
The bright, energetic, enthusiastic graphic design major has taken an unconventional route through high school and now college. And she’s glad of it. During my junior year, she said, she became ill. So she dropped out of high school and decided to pursue a GED. And she passed the test with proverbial flying colors. She took a “sabbatical” for 18 months; then she realized she needed to go on for a college degree. “I realized I had gotten out of the educational groove,” she said. “I was intimidated by applying to a large university and felt I didn’t have the grades for it. And I wanted to remain close to home.” Then she discovered another road less traveled by: the two-year community college – and Housatonic. “I went to visit Housatonic and found it is a small, cozy place,” she said. “That took care of my nervousness.” Amanda, who is particularly fond of photography, was thumbing through the catalogue looking for photography courses and discovered the graphic arts major. She did some more homework:
She was hooked. “I felt I could go two years to a community college then transfer to a four year school,” she said. “I could ease my way back into the educational groove – and get my bachelor’s degree at half the cost.” She applied for financial aid, and qualified for the full package: tuition, books and fees. And she was eligible for work study: paid employment at the college. Amanda enrolled. How does she feel about HCC? “I love it,” she said. “I made Dean’s List for two semesters in a row. The faculty and staff here are absolutely amazing! Because of the small class size, they’re able to take a personal interest in you. They’re encouraging and supportive!” “I was shy about asking for help,” she said. “But the professors encourage it. They’ll sit down and discuss things with which I’m having difficulty. They encourage me to work to my potential.” Amanda especially appreciates the opportunity for hands-on work in design the College has made available to her. She serves as art and design director for Horizons, the school newspaper, and works as a design intern for the college’s publications department. Like more and more students today, Amanda realizes that community colleges are a cost-effective stepping stone to a four-year college and a four-year degree. “I plan to go on and get my bachelor’s degree, and then go into newspaper design,” she said. When Amanda was a faltering high school student, she took the road less traveled by and dropped out of high school, and obtained a GED. When she was a prospective student intimidated by large, impersonal colleges, she took the road less traveled by and went to a small, affordable student-centered college. “For me, like the persona in the famous Robert Frost poem, this has made all the difference for me,” Amanda concluded. Anson C. Smith
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