College Access and FAFSA Support Launches for CT Students


The College Access Collaborative of Connecticut 

The College Access Collaborative of Connecticut (CAC) is a community based educational consulting organization focused on improving college access, financial aid completion, and postsecondary readiness for first generation, multilingual, adult, and historically underserved students across Connecticut. CAC partners with high schools, adult education programs, nonprofits, and community organizations to provide hands on support with FAFSA completion, AACTUS guidance for undocumented and mixed status students, college applications, scholarship navigation, and enrollment planning. Services are delivered through workshops, small group sessions, and individualized advising, particularly during peak college and financial aid seasons when schools are often stretched beyond capacity. CAC’s work is designed to strengthen and extend existing counseling and outreach efforts, not replace them. What makes CAC distinct is its relationship centered and culturally responsive approach. Programming is offered in English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish, ensuring families who are often excluded from the college process due to language or system barriers can fully participate and make informed decisions. CAC emphasizes clarity over jargon, follow through over one time events, and outcome driven support that helps organizations track progress in FAFSA completion, college applications, and enrollment. Founded by educator and college access professional Looney Chery; CAC was created after years of working directly with students and families navigating complex college and financial aid systems with limited individualized support. CAC exists to close these gaps by combining professional expertise, lived experience, and strong community relationships. By meeting students and families where they are, The College Access Collaborative helps turn college from a confusing process into a realistic and achievable pathway. Contact: (475)-344-9753 admin@accesscac.com

Fairfield County

Alfred Branch

Hartford Metropolitan Area

Bridgeport

Connecticut

The College Access Collaborative of Connecticut (CAC) is a community based educational consulting organization focused on improving college access,...

Baybrook Remodelers Inc

Our team at Baybrook Remodelers, Inc. is saddened to hear about the negative impact the Wren Kitchens closure has had on so many customers and families. With 84 full-time craftsmen, expert designers, and dedicated project managers, Baybrook Remodelers is fully equipped to step in and assist—no matter what stage your project is in. Backed by over 35 years of consistent, high-quality customer service, we are uniquely positioned to help you move forward with confidence. Whether your project is in the early design phase, partially completed, or in need of finishing touches, our team is ready to deliver the craftsmanship and reliability you deserve. If you’ve been affected and need guidance or support, we’re here to help get your project back on track.

New Haven County

Ellyn Santiago

New Haven

Our team at Baybrook Remodelers, Inc. is saddened to hear about the negative impact the Wren Kitchens closure has had on so many customers and...

Pellegrino Law Partner Appointed to CT Siting Council

The Pellegrino Law Firm

New Haven, CT — Bernard Pellegrino, a partner at the Pellegrino Law Firm in New Haven, has been appointed by Governor Ned Lamont to serve on the Connecticut Siting Council, a state body responsible for overseeing the siting of major energy, telecommunications, and infrastructure facilities. The Connecticut Siting Council plays a key role in balancing the need for reliable public utility services with environmental protection and community interests across the state. As a member of the Council, Attorney Pellegrino will serve as a public official within the Executive Branch of Connecticut state government and will be subject to the State’s Code of Ethics, underscoring his commitment to transparency, integrity, and ethical public service. Pellegrino brings extensive experience in land use law and a deep understanding of Connecticut communities to the Council. Through his legal practice and civic involvement, he has long demonstrated a commitment to public service, advocacy, and responsible decision-making. “I am honored to accept this appointment and grateful for the opportunity to serve the people of Connecticut,” Pellegrino said. “I look forward to contributing thoughtfully to the important work of the Connecticut Siting Council.” Bernard Pellegrino is a partner at The Pellegrino Law Firm, based in New Haven. He resides in the City of New Haven with his wife, Karen. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Boston College Law School. Media Contact: Pellegrino Law Firm New Haven, CT 203-787-2225 BP@pellegrinolawfirm.com

New Haven, CT — Bernard Pellegrino, a partner at the Pellegrino Law Firm in New Haven, has been appointed by Governor Ned Lamont to serve on the...

Managed IT Services, Disaster Recovery, & Cyber Security

UNAPEN, Inc.

Since 1991, UNAPEN, Inc. has provided IT and Cyber Security Services, Custom Software Solutions, Systems Integration, Software products and Workflow/Process Automation tailored for Investment/Wealth Managers, Non-Profit Organizations, Educational Institutions, Attorneys, and a diverse range of SMBs! The expertise of UNAPEN's seasoned professionals uniquely positions them to advise clients on the value of technology. Our goal is to solidify and protect your IT infrastructure, enhance cyber security, streamline operations and workflow, centralize data, and automate highly complex manual tasks to make your company more successful and competitive. UNAPEN is a long-standing Gold Certified Microsoft Partner. Our solutions fall into these categories: • Strategic Process Consulting • AI Workflow &amp; Process Automation • Custom Client Statements, Meeting Packages &amp; Mgmt Reporting • Custom Software Development - Applications &amp; Interfaces - On-Premise, Web &amp; Mobile • Create/Upgrade Custom Excel, Power Apps, Power BI, MS Access, SQL Server &amp; .NET Applications • Pricing &amp; Reference Data Interfaces for SS&amp;C Advent Axys &amp; APX • CRM for Investment Advisers, Wealth Mgrs, Family Offices, Banking and other industries • Data Warehousing &amp; Data Aggregation • Affinity SQL Data Repository for Advisors • Business Intelligence &amp; Business Mgmt Tools • Digital Transformation &amp; Cloud Migration • IT Services • Cloud Backup, Disaster Recovery &amp; Business Continuity • CyberSecurity - Advanced Network Analysis &amp; Security Threat Reporting, Dark Web Monitoring &amp; Alerts on Compromised Employee Credentials • CyberSecurity - Employee CyberSecurity Awareness Training • CyberSecurity - EndPoint Detection &amp; Response • vCISO CyberSecurity Assessments • Ransomware Protection As a service provider &amp; partner in your success, UNAPEN brings to bear a unique skill set comprised of in-depth business knowledge combined with unparalleled technological expertise &amp; service delivery capability.

Vincent Salzo

Meriden

Since 1991, UNAPEN, Inc. has provided IT and Cyber Security Services, Custom Software Solutions, Systems Integration, Software products and...

Commercial Real Estate & Property Management Services

Levey Miller Maretz

Levey Miller Maretz is recognized as one of the leaders in retail, commercial sales and leasing, and site selection experts in Connecticut. Other commercial and retail services include exclusive tenant representation and market analyses, research, lease negotiation and disposition of excess space. Our team offers the full range of property management services for commercial properties, apartment complexes and condominium associations throughout the state of Connecticut. Our management services maximize revenues through tenant acquisition and support, expense minimization and timely maintenance completion. Our goal is to provide clients excellent yearly returns on their rental properties. Levey Miller Maretz offers a variety of investment property services. Having grown a broad network of investor clients over the past 30 years, we are able to easily connect clients with qualified buyers or sellers.

Levey Miller Maretz is recognized as one of the leaders in retail, commercial sales and leasing, and site selection experts in Connecticut. Other...

Lee'Andre Joshua Cousins-Benton, 18 of New Haven,CT passed away Nov. 14, 2017. He was the son of LeRoy Benton Jr. and Chiquita Cousins, born Nov. 20, 1998 in New Haven,CT. Lee'Andre leaves to cherish his memories brothers Anthony McCray, Lindsey Cousins, Tyler Cousins, Shmon LeRoy Benton, David Dunkley and Bernard Harris; sisters Deziree Cousins, Sharee Cousins, Sharon Armstrong, Dashonda Heath and Mercedes Dunkley; step mother Charlene Heath along with a host of other relatives and friends who loved him deeply. Via McClam Funeral Home

Lee’Andre Joshua Cousins-Benton, 18 of New Haven,CT passed away Nov. 14, 2017. He was the son of LeRoy Benton Jr. and Chiquita Cousins, born Nov. 20, 1998 in New Haven,CT.

Lee’Andre leaves to cherish his memories brothers Anthony McCray, Lindsey Cousins, Tyler Cousins, Shmon LeRoy Benton, David Dunkley and Bernard Harris; sisters Deziree Cousins, Sharee Cousins, Sharon Armstrong, Dashonda Heath and Mercedes Dunkley; step mother Charlene Heath along with a host of other relatives and friends who loved him deeply. Via McClam Funeral Home

Obit: Lee-Andrew Cousins-Benton, 18, Of New Haven

Obituaries

West Haven

East Haven

Orange

Hamden

North Haven

Branford

Bethwood

RJ Scofield

Shelton-Derby

North Branford

Chris Rhatigan 

Milford

Milford Crossing

Xfinity is coming to the community! Join us for a special Xfinity event at Milford Crossing from Friday, May 15 to Thursday, May 28.

Attendees can learn more about Xfinity’s fast, reliable Internet options and find the plan that works best for them. Plus, eligible Xfinity Internet customers can add one line of Mobile Select included for a year.

Xfinity Mobile highlights:

<ul>
 <li>No hidden fees for Xfinity Internet customers</li>
 <li>Mobile Plus includes Lifetime Device Protection for phones, tablets and smartwatches, Device Upgrades anytime, and Global Travel Pass ($45 month, per line)</li>
 <li>Access to more than 23 million WiFi hotspots + America’s most reliable 5G network</li>
 <li>Customers can save up to 50% vs. major wireless carriers</li>
 <li>Speeds up to 1 Gig on Xfinity WiFi with WiFi PowerBoost</li>
</ul>

Xfinity team members will be on site to answer questions, share helpful tips, and walk through available offers.

When: Friday, May 15th – Thursday, May 28th

Event Hours:

<ul>
 <li>Monday – 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.</li>
 <li>Tuesday – Wednesday: Closed</li>
 <li>Thursday – Friday: 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.</li>
 <li>Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.</li>
</ul>

Where: Milford Crossing Shopping Plaza (1349 Boston Post Rd, Milford CT)

Residents can sign up during the event or explore options anytime by calling 1-800-XFINITY, visiting xfinity.com, or stopping by a local store (xfinitystores.com).

We hope to see you there!

Local Event: Xfinity Event Coming to Milford Crossing in Milford!

Xfinity Event Coming to Milford Crossing in...

Xfinity is coming to the community! Join us for a special Xfinity event at Milford Crossing from Friday, May 15 to Thursday,...

Xfinity Event Coming to Milford Crossing in Milford!

Middletown House Concert Series

Created by James Martin, the Tyre Isle Band plays traditional dance tunes and ballads from Ireland, Scotland, and the Hebrides. With Tatyana Gorbunova on flute, Will Holshouser on accordion, and Martin on mandolin, guitar, mandocello, banjo, and vocals, the band reimagines the music and Irish Sean-nós traditions of the British Isles. Delving deeply into the original melodies and rhythms, and adding newly conceived compositions to this living repertoire, the Tyre Isle Band continues the work of James Martin from when the toured the US and Canada with the critically acclaimed British Isles band How to Change a Flat Tire. For this concert, Maggie Holtzberg from the original HTCAFT band will be joining on fiddle. James Martin is an accomplished musician, dancer, choreographer and filmmaker. He was Associate Arts Professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Dance Department and taught there from 1989-2023. In 2020 he won the New York University Tisch School of the Arts David Payne Carter Award for Teaching Excellence. He has danced with Donald Byrd/The Group, Gus Solomons jr, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane and Company, Claire Porter, Jamie Cunningham and Tina Croll, Heidi Latsky, The New York Baroque Dance Company and The Connecticut Ballet Company among others. As co-founder of the band How to Change a Flat Tire, he appears on “A Point of Departure” and “The Traditional Music of Shetland and Ireland” (Front Hall Records). Tatyana Gorbunova is a musician &amp; interdisciplinary artist. Recent work includes playing in the band for a stage adaptation of Rime of the Ancient Mariner and multiple roles in Story Winks - modern adaptations of fairy tales (Ophelia Theater Group). When not playing the flute or acting on stage, she teaches Culinary Arts at a Montessori school and curates the vinyl collection at her record shop, Pancakes Records, in Astoria, NY. Will Holshouser is an accordionist, composer and improviser whose music draws on a wide variety of inspirations, from traditional accordion folk styles to jazz, hymns, classical and experimental music. Will’s music explores these eclectic influences through the accordion’s expressiveness and sense of fun. Originally from Cambridge, MA and active on the New York music scene since the 1990s, Will has toured and recorded with violinist Regina Carter, trumpeter Eric Vloeimans, and clarinetist David Krakauer, as well as with his own groups. Will's trio has released three albums on the Portuguese label Clean Feed and he has made collaborative albums with Musette Explosion and with Han Bennink &amp; Michael Moore. Will has also performed with Michael Winograd, Guy Klucevsek, Andy Statman, Mark Morris Dance, Antony &amp; the Johnsons, Suzanne Vega, Loudon Wainwright III, Martha Wainwright, New York City Ballet, New York City Opera, Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others. maggie_holtzberg.jpg Folklorist and musician Maggie Holtzberg works closely with artists, culture bearers, and their communities to help carry traditional knowledge forward. Serving as state folklorist in Georgia (1992-1998) and Massachusetts (1999-2023) has been her calling and privilege, allowing her to come to know, learn from, document, and help support people practicing cultural traditions of local significance. She has curated exhibitions, authored books, co-directed documentary films, produced concerts, programmed folk festivals, and successfully nominated seven National Heritage Fellows. Holtzberg was awarded the Benjamin A. Botkin Prize in 2018 for lifetime achievement in Public Folklore and was named a Fellow of the American Folklore Society in 2021. She holds a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania (1987) and B.A. in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University (1979). During her time at Wesleyan, having just returned from the Shetland Islands and fiddle tutelage under the great Tom Anderson, she joined the band How To Change A Flat Tire.$25 suggested donation
Please contact Jody Cormack for reservations and directions
jcormack@wesleyan.edu, or 860-983-7963

Local Event: The Tyre Island Band with Maggie Holtzberg on fiddle

Middlesex County

Middletown

The Tyre Island Band with Maggie Holtzberg on...

Created by James Martin, the Tyre Isle Band plays traditional dance tunes and ballads from Ireland, Scotland, and the Hebrides....

The Tyre Island Band with Maggie Holtzberg on fiddle

Temple Beth Sholom

Document Shredding Event at Temple Beth Sholom Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026 Time: 9am-12pm Location: Temple Beth Sholom, 1809 Whitney Avenue, Hamden (in the parking lot) Cost: Small Copy Boxes - $15 per box Large Banker Boxes - $20 per box
Also Available: Hard Drive Destruction &amp; Computer Recycling - $20 each CRT Computer Monitors - $20 each Hard Drive Only - $10 each
All items should be in a box that can easily be picked up. Paper items only. No trash or non-paper items. No CDs, X-Rays, etc. On-site shredding truck provided by Affordable Solutions, LLC.
Questions? Email fundraising@tbshamden.com
Common Questions: Will the documents be shredded at the drop-off location or are they transported to another facility? All documents will be shredded on-site. Workers will remove documents from vehicles and put them in the truck for shredding. 
Is there a certain way to prepare my documents? Place all paper documents into a box or paper bag for easy removal. Please look through the box/bag, before you bring it for shredding. Make sure the items in the box/bag are what you want shredded.
No Trash.
What happens to the shredded paper? The shredded documents are transported to a recycling facility and baled before being recycled into new paper.

Local Event: Document Shredding Event

Document Shredding Event

Document Shredding Event at Temple Beth Sholom Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026 Time: 9am-12pm Location: Temple Beth Sholom, 1809...

Blackstone Memorial Library

Experience an exquisite afternoon of classical music as the Connecticut State Music Teachers Association and the Branford Musical Arts Society present acclaimed pianist and Juilliard Professor Lisa Yui. The program will feature masterworks by Grieg, Liszt, and Qigang Chen in a special performance that is free and open to the public.

Local Event: Lisa Yui, Pianist

Lisa Yui, Pianist

Experience an exquisite afternoon of classical music as the Connecticut State Music Teachers Association and the Branford...

Beautiful 2nd floor apartment at 454 Fountain St is available for rent now! Great location in the Westville section of New Haven, very convenient to SCSU, Yale and the hospitals, downtown, Rts 15 and 34, shopping and more!
some details... lovely 2nd floor apartment has hardwood floors, new windows living room with decorative fireplacesunroom off of living room formal dining roomkitchen with pretty white cabinets, stove and refrigerator, plenty of counter space.&nbsp; 2 bedrooms 1 full bathroom washer/dryer hookup in the basement includes a garage 1 cat ok , no dogs, no smoking please available now, $2200/month includes electricity minimum credit score 650 is required
please call one of us to view, thanks! nancy nishball 203-606-4580 judy nishball 203-606-4582 ivy realty licensed in cT
<ul></ul>

Beautiful 2 BR Apt in Westville is available now! 

Beautiful 2nd floor apartment at 454 Fountain St is available for rent now! Great location in the Westville section of New Haven, very convenient...

New Haven Police Charge Man, 34, In Connection...

The victim, 32, who lives in Pennsylvania, was stabbed repeatedly by a man with whom he had "prior altercations" in early March.

New Haven Police Charge Man, 34, In Connection With March Bus Stop Stabbing

Crime & Safety

Judge Silences City Hall

A federal judge has issued a gag order to Mayor Justin Elicker and his administration regarding an ongoing wrongful-conviction trial.

Politics & Government

Firefighters' Make Quick Work Of a Smoky ...

Fire authorities are investigating a "rubbish fire" in the basement of Yale University's Saybrook College at 242 Elm St.: Fire Chief

Firefighters' Make Quick Work Of a Smoky 'Rubbish Fire' in Yale University College Basement Thursday Morning

Southern Commencement Set, Speakers Include...

With 2,600+ graduates, Southern CT State University is also awarding New Haven Mayor Elicker an honorary Doctor of Political Science degree.

Southern Commencement Set, Speakers Include NHPS Superintendent, Boxing Champ, Anti-Bullying Advocate

Schools

City, State Officials 'Celebrate' Millions in...

Over $23M in additional funding was secured: $14.4M municipal aid, $7.6M for education, and $1.2 for Elm City C.O.M.P.A.S.S., Foxon Shelter.

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Obituaries

Obit: Lee-Andrew Cousins-Benton, 18, Of New Haven

He passed away Nov. 14.

Rich Scinto, Patch Staff

Find out what's happening in New Havenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

More from New Haven

New Haven Police Charge Man, 34, In Connection With March Bus Stop Stabbing

Firefighters' Make Quick Work Of a Smoky 'Rubbish Fire' in Yale University College Basement Thursday Morning

Southern Commencement Set, Speakers Include NHPS Superintendent, Boxing Champ, Anti-Bullying Advocate

Xfinity Event Coming to Milford Crossing in Milford!

The Tyre Island Band with Maggie Holtzberg on fiddle

Document Shredding Event

Lisa Yui, Pianist

Beautiful 2 BR Apt in Westville is available now!

Baybrook Remodelers Inc

The Pellegrino Law Firm

The College Access Collaborative of Connecticut

UNAPEN, Inc.

Levey Miller Maretz

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Obit: Lee-Andrew Cousins-Benton, 18, Of New Haven

He passed away Nov. 14.

Rich Scinto, Patch Staff<img alt="Verified Patch Staff Badge" class="styles_Badge__np_hU" src="https://patch.com/img/cdn/assets/layout/badges/verified-patch-staff.svg"/>

Find out what's happening in New Havenfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Rich Scinto, Patch Staff