Vanessa Cajuste, A MassBay Community College graduate and employee, was able to attend college despite not being eligible for federal financial aid due to her undocumented status.
After initially starting at a four-year college, she determined it wasn’t a good fit and was financially unsustainable, but she then she learned about MassBay.
MassBay’s admissions staff worked closely with her, helping her with all her concerns, so she could start classes right away. She felt comfortable and unjudged as an undocumented student at MassBay. Her professors were supportive and accommodating, as was the entire MassBay staff, many of whom advocated for her. She utilized all of MassBay services from counseling to student development, to the coaching and tutoring center, and becoming a tutor herself.
She made it to where she is today due to attending MassBay. She says MassBay helped shape her entire future. She is now studying for her bachelor’s degree at Framingham State University through the FSU at MassBay program and because she always wants to “give back,” she also works in MassBay’s student development office. She believes that MassBay helped her get through one of the worst times in her life and is grateful for the college and everything it offers students like her.