Featured photo: Horticulture student Sarah Dragonetti in the new automated greenhouse on the Henderson County Campus. (Photo by Emily Gill.)
Emily Gill, Marketing & Communications Dept.
After Hurricane Helene upended Western North Carolina in the fall of 2024, life changed dramatically for people across the area. Day to day stability like passable roads, drinkable water, electricity, and work were now unavailable for many. As the region slowly reopened in October and November, new hurricane related hardships began to surface. Autumn is typically a high point for tourism, bringing necessary work and money to the WNC economy, but the aftermath of the hurricane kept usual tourist crowds away.
Among the many people reeling from this combination of effects was Sarah Dragonetti, who had started her return to higher education that very fall.
“I came to the Blue Ridge Community College horticulture program because I had been working in agriculture, specifically in indoor farming for about five years,” said Dragonetti. “I had tried an office job and hated it, so I wanted to get back into horticulture or agriculture. I had all the experience, but I didn’t have any of the education.”
She decided to take one class in the horticulture program that fall. The first few months showed her the opportunities available, and she planned to pursue a credential in horticulture at Blue Ridge.
Then on September 27, 2024, her plans became irrelevant in the face of the storm.
“I was working at a restaurant at the time; it was my main source of income. They didn’t get power for a while and were closed for almost a month,” she said. “Even once it reopened, there was not much tourism during the main tourist season. There was just less work and less money at work. So that was my big issue. How am I going to pay bills, go to school and work on top of that?”
In response to the struggle many students were facing, Blue Ridge Community College launched the Build Your Future Grant in the fall of 2024. The grant, made possible by state funds secured by the North Carolina Community College System, helped students affected by Helene continue their schooling. Dragonetti was one of the recipients of the grant.
“The grant was the piece that fell into place to keep me on the path going towards my goal,” Dragonetti said.
This semester, Blue Ridge Community College announced the relaunch of the Build Your Future Grant for the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters to once again cover needed tuition for education and workforce training.
Dragonetti has encouraged other students to utilize the Financial Aid Office.
“They are so helpful.They worked to find options for me, and then this grant came through and it worked out,” Dragonetti said.
Dragonetti plans to graduate in 2026 and then pursue learning even more about agriculture and horticulture through short-term work in the area. In the long term, she plans to have her own farm, joining the many local farms that give so much to Western North Carolina, rain or shine.
Grant eligibility and application details are available at www.blueridge.edu/build. Additional scholarship opportunities are offered through the Blue Ridge Community College Educational Foundation at www.blueridge.edu/scholarships.
For assistance, community members may contact the One Stop at (828) 694-1800 in Henderson County or (828) 694-1900 in Transylvania County, or email admissions@blueridge.edu. Questions about Workforce Continuing Education courses may be directed to workforce@blueridge.edu or (828) 694-1735.
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