We’re helping students get through college, not just to college

Kaitlyn Kennedy and her husband couldn’t quite get the numbers to work. Kaitlyn was completing clinicals for the nursing program at Great Bay Community College and needed before- and after-school care for her 5-year-old and 9-year-old children. Other budget numbers could be trimmed and squeezed, but not that one. The children were the reason she’d gone back to school after many years in the restaurant industry. That, and her caring spirit, which often had her sitting across the booth from customers, listening to their stories.   

Kaitlyn had a work-study job in the food pantry at Great Bay Community College, keeping things tidy, shopping for food, and interacting with students who dropped in for food or supplies. Julie Dockery, Student Support Administrator at the school, encouraged her to apply for a grant from the Student Emergency Aid Fund. 

Created in 2024 by Granite Edvance and the Foundation for New Hampshire Community Colleges, the Student Emergency Aid Fund supports students at the state’s seven community colleges with unexpected non-academic needs such as housing, transportation, and childcare. In June 2026, Granite Edvance donated $100,000 to the fund, bringing its total donations to $280,000. Over the past two years, Granite Edvance has also donated a total of $200,000 to student aid funds within the University System of New Hampshire (the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University, and Keene State College). 

Julie helped Kaitlyn overcome her initial reluctance to apply for funds. “She said, ‘You need the help. You need to understand that it’s okay to accept this type of help,’” Kaitlyn said. 

Kaitlyn applied and received enough funding to cover half her children’s care for the semester. She’s now just a few months from graduation and excited to give back to her community. She’s also become a spokesperson for the Emergency Aid Fund, making sure other students know it’s available. Knowing the value of resources like the food pantry and the Student Aid Fund, she plans to keep helping Julie after she graduates as well. 

Kaitlyn is one of 276 students supported by Granite Edvance’s donations to emergency aid funds to date. Many students say the funding has made a critical difference in their ability to stay in school. 

Sena, a recent graduate of Manchester Community College, came to the United States from Turkey on an exchange visa in 2023 and ended up stuck here due to political developments in her country. After applying for asylum, she got a job at a coffee shop, where she sometimes faced intolerance as a Muslim woman. She also started taking classes at MCC, where she found a welcoming community. “I realized, these people are so nice. It just feels like the neighborhood I grew up in,” said Sena, who only uses her first name in everyday life.

Though she thrived academically and socially, Sena faced financial struggles as she tried to live here independently and pay for school herself (as an international student, she was not eligible for financial aid). Last year, she was evicted from her home. Like Kaitlyn, Sena was at first uncomfortable receiving support. “I was thinking, ‘There’s poorer people than me. Should I really be spending this?’” she said. 

Kristen Butterfield-Ferrell, Student Support Counselor at MCC, eventually persuaded Sena to apply for emergency funds, which helped her move out of her home and regroup for a few months. She also helped her find housing in the dorms at NHTI.

“If it wasn’t for the emergency funds, I would have had to stop going to college,” said Sena, who is headed to Rutgers University to study prelaw in the fall. “To some people, it might not sound like a lot of money. But to a person in that critical situation, it’s a lot of money. … I’m so grateful.”