News from Early College for ME -- Student to Student

"Taking the [early college] class as a senior in high school helped me decide that college was for me." Sarah Nichols (Edward Little'12) Liberal Studies CMCC

"ECforME is a great way to prep for college."

Carl Smith (Fort Fairfield High School'12) Computer Electronics NMCC

"[Early College for ME] made me want to achieve more in life."

Sarah Baker (Woodland High School'12) Liberal Studies WCCC

Fall 2013 Volume 8, Issue 1

STUDENT TO STUDENT

SMCC Grad on the Fast Track for an MBA

Timothy O'Neill (Edward Little'11) graduated in May 2013 from Southern Maine Community College in lodging and restaurant management. Three weeks before fall semester began at a Maine university, he gambled on Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. It paid off. JWU accepted him as a junior with all his SMCC credits. O'Neill took off for Providence and by semester start had an apartment and a job.

O'Neill credits his ECforME Regional Director, Christopher Ike, for insisting he finish his associate degree. That gave him an edge: he was the only applicant for his job with a college degree. O'Neill describes the ECforME staff as "a wonderful team and support group. They made my two-year program fun and fast!" He's still tracking fast. In February 2015 he'll have a bachelor's in business studies, and if he continues at JWU, in May 2016 he'll have an MBA.

Patrick, Jennifer, and Paul Griffin

KVCC and NMCC: Two Colleges, Three Siblings

All three of the Griffin siblings went to Lawrence High School: Paul ('07), Patrick ('09), and Jennifer ('12). All three were awarded an Early College for ME scholarship. "Knowing that $500 of each semester's bill was covered was a big relief," says Jennifer. "We all worked our way through college, so the assistance was a tremendous help."
Pauline Stevens, Regional Director at Kennebec Valley Community College, guided all three in high school and Paul and Jennifer at KVCC. Paul graduated from the electrical program in 2009, and is now an electrician/instrumentation technician at Sappi Fine Paper in Westbrook. Ruth White was Patrick's Regional Director at Northern Maine Community College. Patrick graduated in 2011 in plumbing and heating and works for Houle's Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning in Waterville. Jennifer, a KVCC business administration-marketing/management major, says of ECforME, "The regular meetings, going over courses, course selection, and just general guidance, helped to keep us on track." She graduates in 2014.

WCCC Student Knows What She Wants

Charlotte Southard (Woodland High School'13) earned 12 college credits before enrolling at Washington County Community College in business management. She's a full-time student at WCCC and working full-time. She'll have her associate degree in May 2015 and will then go for a bachelor's. "She's definitely going places," says Mary Ann Urquhart, Regional Coordinator at WCCC. "She's a wonderful, well-deserving young lady."
Southard wants a career that offers travel and a chance to help people: "so I can give back to my community for everything the community has done for me." She credits ECforME for helping pay for college and Urquhart for being "helpful, inviting, and understanding. If I had questions, she was there."

CMCC Student Values Getting Involved

Joey Blanchard is a second-year student at Central Maine Community College. Before graduating in 2012 from Telstar High School, he took a college course, earning three college credits. That showed him "what the workload was going to be like." Now majoring in Criminal Justice(CRJ) at CMCC, he's putting his studies to use outside the classroom: Campus Security; CRJ Club treasurer; CMCC tour guide and Resident Hall assistant; Student Senate VP; and Police Athletic League intern in Auburn. He believes his outside-of-class contacts and experiences will help him when he becomes a state trooper or drug enforcement agent. Plus, he says, "It feels good to take that extra step and help others."

EMCC Student Goes for Education

Alexa Salley, a 2012 graduate of Hampden Academy, is a second-year student in early childhood education at Eastern Maine Community College. She's a full-time student; she works 30 hours a week; and she has a 2½ year old daughter, Ally. She also has a 3.31 GPA. She credits her success to a great support system and her belief that education is the path to a better life. Salley will complete her degree in August and is applying to the University of Maine for a bachelor's degree in early childhood. She wants to become a kindergarten teacher. "I want to get to the point where I can support Ally and do great things for her. Education is very important to me and my daughter."

Eye on the Prize at YCCC

Tiffany Delisle (Thornton Academy'12) is a second-year student in behavioral health studies at York County Community College. On her own as a senior in high school, she's grateful to the many people who helped her and is determined to give back. She wants to focus her career on helping children who've experienced trauma. "If I could rewind time," she says, "I'd challenge myself more in high-school." In college she has found no short cuts. "You have to work for what you want." She does: full-time student, full-time job at Sweetser in Saco, weekend restaurant job; all while maintaining a 3.1+ GPA. "The more time you put into your studies the better your grades," she says. "When you get 100 on a test or paper, it's the best feeling." Delisle appreciates her ECforME Regional Director Cait McGurty. "Wow! Every time I needed a reality check or reminder of why I was doing this, Cait was there." To McGurty, Delisle is "truly an incredible, resilient young woman."

ECforME 1st- and 2nd-Year College Students

SPRING 2013 HONORS LIST

*Honors 2 or More Semesters

ECforME 1st- and 2nd-Year College Students

Phi Theta Kappa

Honor Society for the Two-Year College

Kaylee Constable* (Winslow'11) Education-Early Childhood

Education KV'13

Karly Derby* (Greely'12) Liberal Studies SM

Chelsea Flye* (Winslow'11) Liberal Studies KV'13

Ashley Linscott (Gorham'12) Early Childhood Education SM

Courtney McCaslin (Winslow'12) Liberal Studies KV

Shanda Murphy (Sacopee Valley'11) Liberal Studies YC'13

HIGH HONORS

Jake Hall* (Lewiston'12) Precision Machining Tech CM

Naomi Heuer* (Mt. Ararat'11) Computer Tech CM'13

Mohamed Ibrahim* (Lewiston'12) General Studies CM

Timothy Leeman* (LRTC/Lewiston'12) Computer Tech CM

Abigail Merrill* (Ellsworth'11) Early Childhood Education EM

Paige Nadeau* (Caribou'12) Business Management EM

Eric Verrill* (Edward Little'11) Automotive Tech CM'13

HONORS

Jennifer Alvarez (Bucksport'12) Liberal Studies NM

Kristy Ash (Bucksport'12) Liberal Studies EM

Sarah Bailey* (Presque Isle'11) Medical Assisting NM

Mitchell Barton* (Sacopee Valley'12) Liberal Studies SM

William Bombard* (Westbrook'11) Electrical Engineering Tech

SM'13

Steven Buck (Winthrop'11) Pulp-Paper Tech KV'13

Dustin Cady (Kennebunk'12) Diesel, Truck-Heavy Equipment EM

Kody Chamberland* (SJVTC/Wisdom'11) Refrigeration, Air

Conditioning-Heating EM

Samantha Clapp (Windham'11) Horticulture SM

Amy Corriveau* (Caribou'11) Early Childhood Education NM'13

Katlyn Corriveau-Wilkinson* (Sanford'11) Liberal Studies YC

Shannon Crooker* (Hampden Academy'12) Business

Management EM

Olivia Dahlberg* (Hampden Academy'12) Business

Administration-Marketing/Management KV

Hannah Davis (Greely'12) Liberal Studies SM

Zachary deMontigny* (SJVTC/Wisdom'12) Diesel

Hydraulics Tech NM

Alphonso Dixon* (Skowhegan'12) Business Administration-

Marketing/Management KV

Demarre Doody-Corriveau* (Caribou'12) Medical Radiography

Tech EM

Jesse Duffy* (Mt. Ararat'11) Communications-New Media SM

Derek Dufour* (Caribou'12) Welding-Metal Fabrication NM'13

Brittany Dunton* (Nokomis'12) Liberal Studies EM

Jamie Fisher (South Portland'12) Applied Marine Biology-

Oceanography SM

Kimberly Fisher* (South Portland'11) Criminal Justice SM

Jonelle Foley* (Scarborough'11) Liberal Studies SM

Kurtis Gagnon* (SJVTC/Wisdom'11) Electrical Construction-

Maintenance NM'13

Amanda Gauvin (Biddeford'11) Liberal Studies YC'13

Taylor George (Noble'12) Liberal Studies YC

Cassandra Giguere* (LRTC/Edward Little'11) Criminal

Justice CM'13

Gabrielle Gile (Mt. Abram'11) Criminal Justice CM'13

Frederick Giordano III* (South Portland'12) Criminal Justice SM

Daniel Grindle* (Bucksport'11) Liberal Studies EM

Hannah Higgins* (Portland'11) Early Childhood Education SM

Grace Hutchinson (Mt. Ararat'11) Lodging-Restaurant

Management SM

Fadumo Issack* (Portland'11) General Studies SM

Emily Jackson* (Old Town'12) Liberal Studies EM

Kaine Kingsbury* (Central Aroostook'11) Diesel Hydraulics Tech

NM'13

Jacob LaBrie* (SJVTC/Wisdom'11) Diesel Hydraulics Tech NM'13

Kayla LaBrie* (Winslow'12) Liberal Studies SM

Bryce Lambert* (Sanford'12) Integrated Manufacturing Tech SM

Timothy LaPlante (Skowhegan'11) Electrical Tech KV'13

Zachary Levesque* (SJVTC/Madawaska'12) Diesel Hydraulics

Tech NM

Sarah Luckhurst (Skowhegan'11) Liberal Studies KV

Brandon Lyons (Skowhegan'11) Construction Tech-Residential-

Commercial SM'13

Sarah Majka* (SJVTC/Fort Kent'12) Liberal Studies EM

Zackary McManus (Lawrence'11) Electrical Tech KV'13

Lynsey Munroe* (Windham'12) Behavioral Health-Human

Services SM

Nicole Murphy* (UTC/Brewer'11) Liberal Studies EM

Sarah Nichols* (Edward Little'12) Liberal Studies CM

Brenna Noonan (Katahdin'11) Early Childhood Education WC

Krysta Norris* (Kennebunk'11) Liberal Studies SM'13

Yves Nzigiye* (Portland'12) Computer Tech SM

Christopher Pelletier* (Waterville'11) Business Administration-

Accounting KV'13

Noreen Pelletier* (Mattanawcook Academy'12) Liberal Studies EM

MacKenzie Pinette (Presque Isle'11) Digital Graphic Design EM

Ryan Plouffe* (Bonny Eagle'12) Computer Tech SM

Ryan Ramsdell* (Bangor'11) Refrigeration, Air Conditioning-

Heating EM

Cassandra St. Ours* (Biddeford'11) Liberal Studies SM

Marisa Standley* (Telstar'12) Liberal Studies SM

Hayley Strout* (Bangor'11) Medical Radiography Tech EM

Ryan Theriault (LRTC/Leavitt Area'12) Computer Tech CM

Keegan Thomas (UTC/Orono'12) Electricians Tech EM

Sarah Tocci* (Hampden Academy'11) Early Childhood Education

Amanda Travers* (Nokomis'12) Education EM

Ethan Vonderheide* (Messalonskee'11) Architectural- Engineering Design SM

Andrew Wasson* (Caribou'11) Automotive Tech NM'13

Mariah Weisman* (Portland'11) Behavioral Health-Human

Services SM

Nicholas Weymouth* (Lawrence'12) Diesel Hydraulics Tech NM

Maine Community College System

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http://www.mccs.me.edu

Maine Community College System

323 State Street
Augusta, ME 04330

The Maine Community College System is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and employer. For more information, please call 207.629.4000.