Providence Journal photos / Bob Thayer
At an informational fair for Sawyer School students today at CCRI's Liston Campus in Providence, Deborah Grossman-Garber, above left, associate commissioner for the R.I. Office of Higher Education, assures former Sawyer School student Brenda Gomes that everything will be all right in the wake of the school's closing.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Community College of Rhode Island was a beehive of activity Thursday as more than 150 former Sawyer School students tried to put their education and their careers back together.
The Rhode Island Office of Higher Education held a daylong Student Transfer Fair that tried to provide one-stop shopping for the 302 Sawyer students who were stranded after the for-profit institution closed two weeks ago without warning.
At CCRI's Providence campus, students finally received their transcripts, had questions about their financial aid answered and met with nearly a dozen colleges to find out where they might finish their certification programs.
Many Sawyer students are female, older and have children. For them, Sawyer was their last best hope to rise above dead-end, minimum-wage jobs. The school's closing threatened to dash those dreams while leaving them with thousands of dollars in student debt.
Thursday, they looked for answers.
For Kotrina Lockard, a 33-year mother from Woonsocket, the third time was supposed to be the charm: "I've been to school three times and never finished."
Lockard, who is studying for a certification in medical assistance, wanted to know what would happen to her $5,000 private loan with Sawyer, now that the college is defunct. No one had an answer Thursday.
Former Sawyer student Kotrina Lockard of Providence said today she's still confused about what to do.