Hunter Day Got a Free Ride to a Master’s in History at Villanova
The 2026 grad credits the faculty at VTSU and the university’s McNair Program for helping him achieve his goals
When Hunter Day was deciding on colleges, he had a lot of options. He applied to many schools and was accepted to several of them.
“I went around, I toured, and there was something that stood out about Castleton—now Vermont State University—the community, the housing, the classes,” he said.
His initial reaction turned out to be spot-on. As he approached graduation, he found that the size of the school and its community suited him well.
“I know all the faculty very well—they really get to know you,” he noted. “I know my peers very well. It’s a great group of people on the campus—and across all campuses. I’ve had the pleasure of going to Lyndon, Johnson, and Randolph, and even staying overnight for different events. It’s just a wonderful community,” he added.
Hunter originally came to VTSU as an education major, focusing on secondary history education.
“Then, as I started working more closely with faculty and had opportunities to do independent research,” he said, “I realized I had more of a love for academia and wanted to go into postsecondary education and work as a professor.”
He is now pursuing that path and will attend graduate school at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. The university has offered him a full tuition scholarship, and with additional awards, he expects to pay nothing to attend.
“It’s something I never thought I would be doing as a first-generation, low-income student,” he said.
He added that he never imagined himself applying to graduate school and credits, in part, the McNair Scholars Program, which prepares VTSU low-income, first-generation students for graduate study. The McNair Program is funded by the federal TRIO program.
“They walk you through the process—what grad school looks like and how to get there—and really guide you through it, which I otherwise would never have done,” Hunter said.
At Villanova, Hunter will pursue a master’s degree in history with a focus on Irish history, a subject he has already explored extensively. He plans to continue on to a PhD program to teach at the college level.
Hunter offered advice for students just starting out, as he once was:
“There are so many great opportunities on every campus,” he said. “There are so many ways to get involved and participate. I hate to see students spend four years mostly in their room, so get out there, meet new people, and enjoy the campus.”
Hunter has no regrets about his decision to attend Castleton.
“If I could do it all over again, I would choose Vermont State University—Castleton as my home institution,” he said. “I’ve met so many lifelong friends, gained valuable skills, and it has truly set me on a path I don’t believe I would otherwise be on.”