When the City Council approved a $150,000 allocation about a month prior, it set the stage for a significant moment at Chelsea High School. Though modest within the context of budgets exceeding $100 million, this funding would prove transformative for dozens of CHS students on Thursday, May 10, when they discovered the City would cover the cost of completing their Associate’s Degree following graduation.
Principal Priti Johari announced the new pilot program to 94 qualifying seniors. The initial reaction was marked by skepticism and surprise.
Within roughly 20 minutes, however, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. Tears flowed and smiles emerged among the gathered students—many of whom had previously abandoned hopes of pursuing higher education.
Guidairys Castro had received acceptances from UMass Dartmouth, Roger Williams, and two additional institutions. Despite financial aid packages, attendance remained financially unfeasible. Though she had accumulated more than 12 college credits at Bunker Hill Community College through the dual enrollment program over two years, completing her Associate’s degree seemed impossible given her financial constraints.
“I would say this is life-changing,” she explained. “It definitely changes everything for me. I wasn’t thinking about getting to go to college. This is a very good opportunity for me. I didn’t think I would have the money I needed to finish and then go on to a university. I applied to so many colleges and got accepted, but when the financial aid numbers came back, I realized it wasn’t going to happen for me. Today, that all changed.”
The 93 other qualifying seniors joined Castro on Thursday without foreknowledge of the announcement’s nature. According to Johari, students meeting the 12-credit requirement who commit to remaining in Chelsea and attending BHCC would have their Associate’s Degree funded by the City through this initiative.
“This is a special group and a really exciting announcement,” she told the group. “The City of Chelsea is investing in you. That is exciting…They want you to go to college and graduate, then come back to Chelsea. We want higher education to be more affordable. I know a lot of you have big dreams and can’t go to college because of money. City Manager Tom Ambrosino and the Council wanted to take money away as an obstacle.”
Learning of the students’ reaction following the announcement, Ambrosino felt encouraged about the program’s value and expressed confidence it deserved continuation in the coming year.
“I’m thrilled because this is exactly why we did that program and how we wanted it to work,” he remarked. “We wanted it to change people’s lives.”
Many students in attendance experienced relief, as they had anticipated bearing the full cost of their Bunker Hill coursework independently.
Emily Romero and Barbara Mendez had planned to work full-time—possibly holding multiple jobs—for a year or longer to finance their return to Bunker Hill.
The announcement transformed their circumstances entirely.
“We were going to work for a year, but now there is no point in doing that,” Mendez stated.
Both students pursued interests in nursing and early childhood care, with plans to complete their Associate’s degrees and transfer to universities—a cost-saving strategy increasingly common among today’s students.
“Most of us in this room are the first to even consider college in our families,” Romero noted. “It’s a big achievement for our family. They are going to be so happy to hear this. I feel this is really going to help me because I was going to have to pay out of pocket, and I didn’t know if I would have the money. It’s a great opportunity.”
For David Cruz, the scholarship accelerates his professional trajectory. He intends to complete his studies at Bunker Hill before transferring to Bridgewater State, where he plans to pursue aviation studies with aspirations of becoming an airline pilot.
“It’s what I’ve always wanted to do as long as I can remember,” he said with a smile.
Program applications were due Monday, May 14, and most of the 94 eligible students were anticipated to submit them.