This story was originally published by VTDigger on May 6, 2025
After 10 years of working in marketing and analytics in the Boston area, Leanne Estridge left her job in early 2020 when her infant son had difficulty with daycare.
As the family-inspired pause lengthened into a pandemic-driven societal realignment, Leanne and her husband decided the timing was right to make some major life changes. The couple decided to move back to Vermont, where Leanne had gone to college, in early 2021; her husband was growing a natural foods business; and Leanne, who for many years had been dreaming of grad school to pursue a longtime interest in mental health counseling, thought this might be the opportunity.
“I was passionate about my marketing work, but when my son needed more of me, I stepped back. And when I stepped back with him, I thought, this might be my chance to go back to school.”
Leanne, who graduated from Champlain College in 2011, had long felt the call to serve others and considered majoring in criminal justice and social work before settling on public relations. “I fell in love with Vermont’s communities through my experience at Champlain, and it launched me into a fun and interesting career,” says Leanne. “But eventually I had to listen to my heart and go find work that aligns with who I really am; the person I want to be for my kids.”
One of Leanne’s consulting projects—working with a higher education consulting firm that was advising a group of Vermont colleges contemplating a merger—provided a direction.
“Once we settled in Vermont, I contacted Vermont State University. I’d become familiar with VTSU, and while I looked at schools all over the country, I really liked the design of the VTSU program,” says Leanne. A grant providing funding assistance came along just as she was about to enroll, and that sealed the deal.
