Jonas Hastings

Jonas Hastings is a self-described doer and tinkerer. He has held numerous jobs in his young life, but they have all been practical and hands-on work, like farming, animal husbandry, carpentry and landscaping. Not afraid to take chances, Jonas is willing to, “walk down dead-end roads,” in his path to find what he wants to do and change course as needed.

While in high school, Jonas had trouble applying himself before entering the Hannaford Career Center in Middlebury, Vermont. Once exposed to the applied learning format of the technical center, Jonas found his niche and has thrived ever since. With academic success under his belt, Jonas transferred to a private high school for his senior year and found a love for chemistry under the mentorship of a teacher there. That teacher uncovered Jonas’s natural gift for science that had previously gone undetected.

So with aptitude for academics and desire for a practical education, Jonas seemed like the perfect candidate for success at Vermont Tech. He entered the Dairy Farm Management program with intentions to be a farmer, as generations of his family had been before him. But that first year of school almost ended with Jonas leaving the college, except for the help and support of Skye Erskine in the Center for Academic Success. Jonas credits Skye with keeping him in school and is grateful for her support.

Jonas has also come to appreciate the low-key nature of people in the Vermont Tech community. Knowing as many people as he does, it’s relaxed the intimidating nature of college for him. Instead, it feels like a family-orientated place where people care about him and his success.

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  • School

    Agriculture, Plant, and Animal Sciences

  • Class of...

    2016

  • Hometown

    Bridport, VT