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College & Workforce Readiness Video

Resilience, Faith, and Support: How Twin Brothers Forged Diverging Paths to College

By Brooke Saias — September 21, 2021 1 min read
College & Workforce Readiness Video

Resilience, Faith, and Support: How Twin Brothers Forged Diverging Paths to College

By Brooke Saias — September 21, 2021 1 min read
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COVID first struck their small Arkansas town the spring of their junior year. As seniors, they continued to feel its ripple effects as they navigated classes, college applications, and graduation.

In this piece, John and Jonathan Easter, twin brothers from Bradley, Ark., reflect on the impact the pandemic had on their college plans, and the challenges they’ve overcome as the first in their immediate families to pursue higher education.

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Throughout their journeys, they received support from their families as well as the Rural Community Alliance, a nonprofit organization that empowers students in rural communities.

Produced and Edited by Brooke Saias
Filmed by Patrick Rodgers & April Kirby
Original Music: Louis Weeks
Sound Mix: Nick Warner
Executive Producer: Emma Patti Harris
Coverage of the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need is supported in part by a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, at . Education Week retains sole editorial control over the content of this coverage.

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