For Students in Public Housing, a Hand Up.

For Students in Public Housing, a Hand Up. CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Even when Emily Heule was homeless, waitingin line for government cheese and Salvation Army Salvation Army,Protestant denomination and international nonsectarian Christian organization for evangelical and philanthropic work.Organization and BeliefsThe Salvation Army has established branches in 100 countries throughout the world. shoes while pregnantwith her son, she knew there was a way she could make her life better. "I always had somewhere in the back of my mind that educationwas the key to pulling myself back up out of poverty," the36-year-old Heule said recently, 14 years after that experience. True to that belief, she now plans to attend the University ofVirginia and pursue a career as an activist for low-incomeCharlottesville residents. Heule, who has a few more credits to finish at Piedmont VirginiaCommunity College Piedmont Virginia Community College is a two-year, post-secondary educational institution located in Albemarle County, Virginia, south of Charlottesville. As part of the statewide Virginia Community College System, PVCC serves the residents of five counties surrounding before she can start at UVa, will have help: She isone of four city women, all residents of public or subsidized housing Subsidized housing (aka social housing) is government supported accommodation for people with low to moderate incomes. To meet these goals many governments promote the construction of affordable housing. ,who have received $1,000 college scholarships from the city'sredevelopment and housing authority. Their stories are all different, but all four share the convictionthat hard work and persistence can be a ticket out of difficult times. A mother of two living at the city's Riverside public housingdevelopment, Heule hopes to use what she has learned from her ownpainful experiences to help others. "People sometimes ask me, don't I feel bad about theassistance that I've received," she said. "I say,`Absolutely not,' because I have faith that by the time this is alldone I'll be a contributing member of society, and other peoplewill be able to benefit from the dollars that I put in." That ambition is important to housing authority Executive DirectorDel Harvey, who created the scholarship program this year. One of theauthority's goals, Harvey said, is to help residents leave publichousing. "The whole point is, we're trying to meet people wherethey are and help them advance," she said. "I think that atsome point, what you want is to have a family know that they can make iton their own. ... We really want to have examples of folks that aremaking it, that are working towards making it, that will be there someday." Tondra Hughston, 22, was on that road a few years ago, butpregnancy forced a detour. Then a student at James Madison University “JMU” redirects here. For the university in Liverpool, England, see Liverpool John Moores University.For the public-policy college at Michigan State University, see . ,the Greene County Greene County is the name of fourteen counties in the United States of America, each named in honor of American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene: Greene County, Alabama Greene County, Arkansas Greene County, Georgia Greene County, Illinois native dropped out to raise her daughter, Deja, now 3. She transferred to PVCC PVCC Paradise Valley Community College (Arizona)PVCC Piedmont Virginia Community CollegePVCC Permanent Virtual Channel ConnectionPVCC Point of Vertical Compound Curvature and received an associate's degree as��so��ci��ate's degreen.An academic degree conferred by a two-year college after the prescribed course of study has been successfully completed. .Now she is enrolled in Old Dominion University's Teletechnetprogram, which allows her to participate in that school's classesvia satellite from PVCC. She is pursuing a degree in businessmanagement, and she also works at State Farm Insurance as a claimsadjuster. Hughston credits her family with continuing to support her. Shesaid the birth of her daughter has helped her focus and to overcome theinitial disappointment of leaving JMU JMU James Madison UniversityJMU JMTK Utilities Segment . "I was extremely upset, because I had worked so hard and thatwas the school I wanted to attend, so I was disappointed inmyself," she said. "Once I had her, I realized that I had moremotivation to finish and to go beyond just graduating, because I wantedher to have the world.... It's helped me stick to my goals.It's helped me get things done." After she graduates next year, Hughston plans to attend law school. Another aspiring lawyer is Charlottesville High School Charlottesville High School (commonly called CHS) is the only public high school in the independent city of Charlottesville, Virginia, serving students from 9th to 12th grade. It is the second largest high school in the region with a student population of 1350. graduateLatrice Scott, who will put her scholarship money to work at NorfolkState University In 1942, the school became independent of VUU and was named Norfolk Polytechnic College. Within two years, by an act of the Virginia Legislature, it became a part of Virginia State College (now Virginia State University ), and granted its first bachelor's degrees in 1956. in the fall. At 18, Scott is the youngest of the four scholarship recipients,and the only one entering college immediately after high school. Besidesthe usual teen-age pursuits -- doing hair, talking on the phone andwriting poetry -- she has worked since she was 15, and believes it haschanged her for the better. "If you start working at an early age, then you learn how todeal with people," said Scott, who lives with her mother andbrother in subsidized housing. "You learn how to work for the stuffyou want, instead of people always giving it to you." Like Scott, 29-year-old Devonia Cavanaugh, the fourth scholarshipwinner, also was a gilled youth, making the honor roll honor rolln.A list of names of people worthy of honor, especially:a. A list of students who have earned high grades during a specified period.b. A list of people who have served in the armed forces. at FluvannaCounty High School. She didn't go to college right away, though,and in 1996 her tenure at PVCC was disrupted when her then-18-month-olddaughter, Brianna, was diagnosed as having Type 1 diabetes type 1 diabetesn.See diabetes mellitus. . Brianna, now6, still needs two insulin shots a day. On top of that, Cavanaugh works at PVCC in a work-study program Noun 1. work-study program - an educational plan in which students alternate between paid employment and formal studydidactics, education, educational activity, instruction, pedagogy, teaching - the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart andis secretary of the school's chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Phi Beta Kappa:see fraternity. Phi Beta KappaLeading academic honour society in the U.S., which draws its membership from college and university students. The oldest Greek-letter society in the U.S. honorsociety. She's busy, but she thanks her co-workers and professors atPVCC for their support, pointing to the school's strong sense ofcommunity. Though she has faced obstacles, she believes she was meant tobe an elementary school teacher -- a career she plans to pursue in MaryBaldwin College's adult degree program. "I think there's potential in everyone," she said."I think some times you think you can't do it, but I'mliving proof that you can raise three kids and go to college." City Council member Maurice Cox, a member of the authority'sboard, said the four scholarship recipients "shatter the myth ofwhat is a public housing resident." "It just proves to me that you can find smart, talented,motivated people inany community, whether it be a low-income community or a high-incomecommunity," Cox said. "I'm thrilled that an authoritythat provides housing can also help them with their education, becausethat's what's going to lead to self-sufficiency."