HCC students transform bus into mobile apartment, classroom

HOLYOKE, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - After finding the perfect bus, that could double as an apartment and classroom, two Holyoke Community College students are sharing what it’s like to take a non-traditional college route.

While most college students are taking their studies to the classroom on-campus, two HCC students are taking their studies across the Bay State and even across the country. Sam Hunter and Leah Healy didn’t take the traditional route of perusing their college degree straight out of high school. Instead, they found the perfect bus and transformed it into a mobile classroom and art studio, as well as their home. “We’re both artists, so I’ve been doing more creative stuff and being in the bus really fosters a creative environment for both of us,” Healy said.

They utilize the bus while also taking advantage of the online classes offered at Holyoke Community College. “We were literally staying at a farm and I went inside from hanging out and playing with the chickens and started working on my essay for ethics class,” Hunter added.

The only problem: where would they park the bus? “They were like ‘You can park in our driveway,’ yeah, like older women who were like ‘It’s just me and my dogs,’” Healy and Hunter noted.

However, they told us the community was more than willing to help out. Their next stop is Washington State, just a little over 3,000 miles away. “So we’re going to drive to the complete other side of the country like way up in the national park area, so we will be there [until] about October,” Healy said.

Their education journey will continue as both Hunter and Healy plan to circle back to the Bay State after exploring the country to take in-person classes at HCC.