News and Events - UMaine
Students Receive Majority of Scholarships From Maine State Society
of Washington, D.C. and Its Foundation
University of Maine students received the majority of
scholarships presented this year by a Washington, D.C.-based group
that promotes educational opportunities for Maine residents.
The Maine State Society of Washington, D.C. and its
Foundation presented 12 students from the flagship University with
scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.
Altogether this year, the Maine State Society of
Washington, D.C. and its Foundation awarded 16 scholarships - a
record for the group which has been providing financial assistance
since 1990 to students who are Maine citizens or residents, are
attending accredited four-year higher-education institutions in
Maine, and have a grade point average of not less than 3.0.
Students from the University of Southern Maine and Colby College
also received scholarships this year.
The Maine State Society was founded in 1894 as a "home away
from home" for people with connections to Maine who live and work
in the Washington, D.C., area. The oldest and most active of the
state societies in our nation's capital, the Maine State Society
has approximately 1,000 members who provide the primary source of
funding for the Foundation's annual scholarship program. The Maine
State Society also functions as a defacto alumni group, holding
events nearly every month in which many of the more than 1,800
UMaine graduates who live and work in the Washington, D.C., area
participate.
With the annual scholarship program, the Maine State
Society of Washington, D.C. and its Foundation helps students at
the flagship University achieve their potential.
Joan Beach, vice-president of the Foundation, says the
selection committee was impressed with the caliber of UMaine
students.
"They are spectacular kids - motivated, enthusiastic,
bright, and dedicated to their community. They are the best and
the brightest," says Joan, who has a summer home on Phillips Lake
in Lucerne-in-Maine. She noted that in addition to earning stellar
grades, the young people are involved in a host of outside
activities including community service projects and mentoring
programs.
UMaine students who received scholarships are:
-
Alexandra Albert of Eagle Lake -- majoring in both
Molecular and Cellular Biology and Biochemistry, $2,500;
-
Helen Mattson, Scarborough -- Molecular and Cellular
Biology, $2,000;
-
David Welch, Lewiston -- Chemistry, $2,000;
-
Jessica Sirois, East Waterboro -- International
Affairs-French, $2,000;
-
Spencer Perry, Ashland -- Wood Science & Technology,
$1,500;
-
Heather Martin, Richmond -- Civil Engineering, $1,500;
-
Emily Little, Mount Desert -- Nursing/Psychology and
Spanish, $1,000;
-
Roo Atchinson, Orono -- Nutrition, $1,000;
-
Michelle Martin, Patten -- Liberal Arts/Anthropology,
$1,000;
-
Rica Breton, Greenville -- Business Administration, $1,000;
-
Zachary Dionne, Benton -- Journalism, $1,000 and;
-
Kathryn Gould; Bangor -- Political Science, $1,000.
Joan Hunter, president of the Foundation and past president
of the Maine State Society, says the applicants are "so individual
in their pursuits, yet all are outstanding as both citizens and
students.
"The scholarship selection process reaffirms for me that
young people from Maine are its most worthwhile and valuable
asset," she says. "I take a lot of pride in that. The students
themselves are what motivate me to do this kind of work."
Each year she gets thank you notes from recipients who tell
her that the scholarship was a tremendous help as they pursued
their education.
"It's clear that this means a lot to them," she says.
More than 70 students from colleges and universities
throughout Maine applied for a scholarship this year, says Joan
Beach, noting that UMaine Development Officer Pat Cummings helped
boost the number of applications from Orono.
"I mentioned that it was unusual that we had only a handful
of applicants so far. She got on the ball and the applications
started rolling in."
The trick, says Pat, was to alert UMaine deans and
associate deans to the wonderful opportunity provided by the Maine
State Society of Washington, D.C. and its Foundation. They then
passed the word along to their students who "responded with
enthusiasm.
"There is a great need for scholarships," Pat says. "The
average student graduates with $18,000 in debt. We are so
appreciative of the opportunity for our students to receive
scholarships from this wonderful organization, and for our
students to learn how a group of Mainers now living in our
nation's capital continue to give back."
The scholarships given by the Maine State Society of
Washington, D.C. and its Foundation afford young people "the
opportunity to get a first class education at a terrific land
grant school with a great heritage and a critically acclaimed
academic community," says Charles Stanhope, vice president of the
Maine State Society and a 1971 UMaine graduate, noting the
scholarly awards and the innovative research and development
grants that the flagship University continues to receive.
A number of this year's scholarship recipients are in
UMaine's Honors College, something that pleases Charles for a
couple of reasons. His class dedicates its fund raising endeavors
to the Honors College and, as a student at UMaine, he was a member
of the Honors Program - the predecessor of the Honors College.
"I'm proud of what I learned and the experiences I had in
the Honors Program," says Charles, a Portland, Maine, native who
has hosted events for Honors College student delegations when they
visited Washington.
Honors College students "represent the diversity of
strengths of the University of Maine," says Dean Charlie Slavin.
"They excel in their individual disciplines while exploring the
interdisciplinary issues that expand their horizons and prepare
them as citizens and leaders."
Back to News
and Events
