December 2023
Three New Leaders Join the Mitchell Institute’s Board of Directors
The Mitchell Institute has announced the election of three new members to its Board of Directors, including a Mitchell Scholar (left to right): Tony DiSotto ’99, Maine Market President of KeyBank; Kate Wilkinson, Senior Vice President and Senior Client Advisor with Spinnaker Trust; and Jonathan Moody, Superintendent of Schools in MSAD 54 and Maine’s 2024 Superintendent of the Year. Learn more about the new Board members and the expertise they bring to the Mitchell Institute.
20 Additional Mitchell Scholarships to Be Awarded in 2024
For the second consecutive year, and thanks to continued fundraising successes, the Mitchell Institute will once again expand its longstanding commitment to award at least one $10,000 scholarship annually to a graduating student from each of Maine’s public high schools. In 2024, we will offer 20 more Mitchell Scholarships statewide (on top of the 20 additional in 2023), bringing the total number offered to 184 in the coming year. That’s $1.84 million to support the Class of 2024 Mitchell Scholars.
Mercedes Pour named the Mitchell Institute’s 2023 Higher Education Professional of the Year
The Mitchell Institute recently named Mercedes Pour as the organization’s 2023 Higher Education Professional of the Year. Pour is the Director of College Access and Secondary Partnerships within the Maine Community College System. The award, which was presented at Educate Maine’s 2023 Education Symposium in early December 2003, recognizes higher education professionals whose extraordinary service to students supports the Mitchell Institute’s mission of helping young people from Maine to pursue, afford, and achieve a college education.
January 2024
Mitchell Scholar Brian Harris Joins the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society
With his most recent gift to the Mitchell Institute, Brian Harris, the 2007 Mitchell Scholar from Penobscot High School and founder & CEO of MedRhythms, became the 15th alum to make contributions matching or exceeding the amount of the scholarship awarded to them. “The support I received from the Mitchell Institute transcended the financial realm as I was welcomed into a lifelong community that embodies the values and ideals that make Maine so special,” said the newest member of the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society. “It is an honor and privilege to express my gratitude by giving back to a community that has provided so much to me over the years.”
For Mitchell Scholar Sarah Holbrook, the Quest to Provide Genetic Insights into a Rare Disease Is Personal
The path 2013 Mitchell Scholar Sarah Holbrook has taken on her way to earning a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences winds through Fort Fairfield Middle/High School, the University of Maine, and The Jackson Laboratory, where she is now working to provide genetic insights into a rare disease: spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress (SMARD). Check out this Jackson Laboratory story to learn how the search for ways to understand and prevent disease has kept Holbrook going through a long journey marked by challenges and loss.
February 2024
Casey Near Named Scholarship Director at the Mitchell Institute
“My husband and I moved to Maine in 2019, and we soon realized it would be our forever home,” said Casey Near, the Mitchell Institute’s new Scholarship Director. “While at Collegewise, I counseled students for 10 years, and I worked to support school districts and families across the country during my tenure, but I was always eager to make a more local, personal impact, especially here in Maine. Serving as Scholarship Director at the Mitchell Institute will allow me to combine all that I love into one — making the path to college more accessible and serving the great state of Maine and its young people. I feel honored to continue the longstanding tradition of providing Mitchell Scholars with far more than a scholarship, during their college years and beyond.”
Mitchell Scholar John-Luke D’Amico Joins the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society
When it comes to joining the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society—i.e., paying forward the full amount of the Scholarship received—Mitchell Scholars don’t have to go it alone. Corporate matching gifts and corporate grants made to charitable nonprofit organizations can help put Mitchell Scholars over the top with contributions that match or exceed the amount of their scholarship. That’s how it was for John-Luke D’Amico, the 2018 Mitchell Scholar from Messalonskee High School, who has worked for a leading global investment banking and wealth management firm since graduating from Bentley University with a degree in Finance. Learn how D’Amico helped secure a $10,000 grant to the Mitchell Institute from his firm.
Mitchell Scholar Michele Martin Steps up to the Mic for Scholars Speak
For the 20th episode of Scholars Speak, Michele Martin, the 1999 Mitchell Scholar from Scarborough High School, and Marc Glass, the Mitchell Institute’s Brand and Communications Director, have some big news to share about the podcast. (Here’s a hint: This time, Martin takes a seat in the guest’s chair!) Listen up as Martin talks about her career progression with experiences at several well-known brands; why she chose to serve on the Mitchell Institute’s Board of Directors, Senator’s Circle, and Alumni Council; the value of both mentorship and sponsorship in your professional development; and why “proving it to yourself first” is important early in your career.
March 2024
Picture Story: MILE II Positions Scholars and Alumni for Career Success in 2024
In early March, more than 60 Mitchell Scholars and alumni were invited to step out of bounds at Unum—right where they should be for optimal career exploration. Guided by the day’s theme that Mitchell Scholars need not be bound to consider only career paths traditionally associated with their academic majors, MILE II participants heard sage advice from a panel of accomplished alumni, attended interactive breakout sessions focused on timely career development topics, and broadened their sense of career possibilities.
Kristen Case Named Scholar Research and Grants Manager at the Mitchell Institute
Jared Cash, President and CEO of the Mitchell Institute, announced that Kristen Case will join Maine’s premier scholarship organization as Scholar Research and Grants Manager on April 1. Among her responsibilities, Case will research and analyze Mitchell Scholar outcomes and develop funding proposals for foundations that are aligned with the Mitchell Institute’s mission and work. “Kristen’s impressive teaching, research, program development, and student advising experience in higher education make her an ideal candidate for this reimagined position at the Mitchell Institute,” Cash said. “I am confident that she will strengthen our longstanding tradition of measuring the many positive impacts of the Mitchell Scholarship and encourage foundations to invest in our vital mission.”
Mitchell Scholar Patrick Luizzo Steps up to the Mic for Scholars Speak
In the 21st episode of Scholars Speak, we catch up with Patrick Luizzo, the 2018 Mitchell Scholar from Edward Little High School and a sales manager for Mirah, a software platform provider that helps primary healthcare providers integrate behavioral healthcare. Listen up as Luizzo talks about why his recent graduation from Northeastern University was extra special for him and his family, the advice he has for Scholars and alumni who are considering a fully remote job, how the Mitchell Institute helped him through a rocky start to college, why he thinks of the Mitchell Institute as a family, and why “family doesn’t end when you graduate.”
Mitchell Scholar Michelle Henaire Goes the Extra MILE for Scholars and Alumni
Michelle Henaire, the 2012 Scholar from Thornton Academy, has the distinction of being one of the most steadfast leaders of the Mitchell Institute Alumni Council’s MILE II Committee in the organization’s nearly 30-year history. And if you didn’t know that, it’s probably because of the way Henaire rolls—never calling attention to herself or her contributions, but always working tirelessly to ensure the best possible MILE II experience for Scholars and alumni. “MILE II was always my favorite part of being a Mitchell Scholar,” Henaire says. “It made such an impression on me that I wanted to make sure future Scholars had an even better experience than I had.”
April 2024
Mitchell Scholar Adele Edelawit’s Path to Nashville Begins with ‘Coastal Cowgirl’ Music Made in Maine
Adele Edelawit, the 2023 Mitchell Scholar from Greely High School in Cumberland, has a clear vision of where she wants to be in five years: standing on a Nashville stage, an acoustic six-string slung around her neck, singing one of her original “coastal cowgirl” hits to a packed arena—and there’s a Grammy on the mantle at home. Based on what Edelawit has already accomplished and her strong desire to succeed, don’t bet against any of it. “I’ve had the dream of going to Nashville since I was 10 or 11, and everything in my life has been about getting there since then,” she said.
Picture Story: Mitchell Scholars and Alumni Gather Again in Boston
Delicious food, fizzy beverages, and Mitchell Scholar fellowship were on the menu again at Earls Kitchen + Bar in the Prudential Center, as Scholars, alumni, and guests came together for an evening celebration on Wednesday, April 24. Thanks to our generous hosts, Becky and Bruce Epstein, the 2024 Boston Mitchell Scholar event drew 50 attendees, who left with full hearts, stronger connections, and sated appetites.
Mitchell Scholar Andy Estrada Joins the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society
With his most recent gift to the Mitchell Institute, Andy Estrada, the 2008 Mitchell Scholar from Hall-Dale High School and Senior Communications Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, became the 17th alum to make contributions matching or exceeding the amount of the scholarship awarded to them. “With all that the Mitchell Institute has given me—and continues to give me today—giving back over the years has been a no-brainer,” Estrada said. “I know firsthand that this organization provides young Mainers with transformative and enriching opportunities to learn, grow, and connect with one another, and I’m excited to continue to support the Mitchell Institute’s efforts and mission moving forward.”
Mitchell Scholar Ethan Pierce Steps up to the Mic for Scholars Speak
In the 22nd episode of Scholars Speak, we catch up with Ethan Pierce, the 2009 Mitchell Scholar from Gardiner Area High School, Harvard University graduate, and Cambridge, Mass.-based artificial-intelligence entrepreneur. Listen up as Pierce tells us about why he launched Adaptive Reader, an AI-assisted platform that reinterprets literary classics into more accessible versions for educators and students. So far, 14 public domain books are available through Adaptive Reader, including “Beowulf” and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and “Macbeth.” Check out the episode to learn how Pierce is helping to bring the classics to a broader audience—even those who read at a sixth-grade level—as well as his advice for Mitchell Scholars interested in breaking into the field of AI.
May 2024
Picture Story: The Annual Graduation Celebration for the Newest Members of the Alumni Family
Over delicious catering from Foodworks of Portland (courtesy of event sponsor Bangor Savings Bank), Mitchell Scholars who recently graduated from college, members of the Mitchell Institute Alumni Council, members of our Board of Directors, and Institute staff celebrated at The Roux Institute in late May. The event had one other purpose: welcoming the recent college graduates into their new roles as Mitchell Scholar alumni.
Jeff Candura Named Director of Development at the Mitchell Institute
President and CEO Jared Cash announced that Jeff Candura joined Maine’s premier scholarship organization as Director of Development on May 28. Among his responsibilities, Candura will lead the work of inspiring people and foundations to make philanthropic investments in the success of nearly 600 college-going Mitchell Scholars each year from every community in Maine. “After conducting a national search, we are delighted to welcome Jeff, a highly successful fundraiser who finds joy in helping people express their values through philanthropy,” Cash said. “With Jeff’s leadership in all aspects of our fundraising, we will ensure that more hardworking young people in Maine have access to higher education, and we will provide communities statewide with engaged leadership and a stronger and more educated workforce.”
Mitchell Scholar Malinda Gagnon Joins the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society
With her most recent table sponsorship of the Mitchell Institute Gala, Malinda Gagnon, the 1999 Mitchell Scholar from Telstar Regional High School and CEO of Uprise Partners, became the 18th alum to make contributions matching or exceeding the amount of the scholarship awarded to them. “Giving to support access to education is important to my husband and me, and for our company, Uprise Partners. We’re both from rural Maine and greatly appreciate not only the financial support we received for our educations but also the community support,” Gagnon said. “For both of us, going from small-town Maine to working at a couple of the world’s fastest-growing technology companies, we’ve seen firsthand what education can unlock. We want to help other Maine students have the same opportunity and not be limited by their financial situations.”
Four Scholars Elected to the Mitchell Institute Alumni Council
Elliott Simpson, the 2014 Mitchell Scholar from Hampden Academy and incoming President of the Mitchell Institute Alumni Council (MIAC), announced today that four fellow Mitchell Scholars have been elected to serve two-year terms on the alumni service organization. Adam Fortier-Brown, Sadie Libby, Lauren Turcotte Seavey, and Hunter Steele will begin serving on the Alumni Council at the annual MIAC retreat to be held at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester in late June. In keeping with tradition, the four Mitchell Scholar alumni applied for membership in the past year and were recently voted to serve up to three consecutive terms by the organization’s members.
June 2024
Video: Watch the Welcome Message to the 2024 Mitchell Scholars
Interested in knowing who among this year’s 1,500+ applicants from every community in Maine received a coveted Mitchell Scholarship—and what we said to welcome them to the Mitchell Scholar community? It’s all in this video message from Scholarship Director Casey Near and President & CEO Jared Cash.
Photo Gallery: Building the Mitchell Scholar Community in 2024, From One Scholar to Another
At high school senior award ceremonies and graduations statewide, a beautiful thing happened again this year: Mitchell Scholars who are now enrolled in college came home to present the Mitchell Scholarship to the 2024 recipients and welcome them into the Mitchell Institute family. And by the look on the faces of the new Mitchell Scholars, being personally welcomed into the Mitchell Scholar community before your friends, family, and classmates is some kind of wonderful. Click the link below to learn why Mitchell Scholars keep up this tradition of personally presenting the scholarship award to the next generation of Scholars.
Mitchell Scholar Cole Ellis Helps Keep Maine’s Growing Number of Heat Pumps Clean
If there’s one thing Mainers take seriously, it’s their home heating systems. And increasingly, the heat source of choice in the Pine Tree State is a heat pump. In fact, according to a recent Bloomberg article, Maine leads the U.S. when it comes to installing energy-efficient electric heat pumps. For Cole Ellis, the 2023 Mitchell Scholar from Searsport District High School, the steadily increasing popularity of heat pumps has meant one thing: opportunity. “Over time, I recognized that there was going to be a market and a huge need for heat pump cleaning services,” Ellis said. Click the link below to learn more about Ellis’ rapidly growing business that landed him among the finalists of Greenlight Maine’s College Edition.
July 2024
Doing Good at the Roux Through Design Thinking
In mid-July, Mitchell Scholars engaged with design thinking experts at The Roux Institute at Northeastern University in Portland to learn entrepreneurship and solve a backyard environmental challenge: how to incentivize homeowners to convert more of their lawn space to native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees that support the widest array of wildlife and rebuild Maine’s natural biodiversity.
Browse the 2023–2024 Mitchell Institute Annual Report
Thanks to our generous friends and Alumni who significantly increased their contributions in 2023 to both the annual fund and endowment, we were able, once again, to expand the number of $10,000 Mitchell Scholarships funded by 20. This brings the total number of Mitchell Scholarships offered to 184 this year and moves us closer to our goal of awarding 200 scholarships annually. To learn more about our accomplishments over the past year and see the names of our loyal donors whose generosity funded the broad range of supports we provide Mitchell Scholars, please review the latest issue of the Mitchell Institute Annual Report, which is presented in a “flip-book” format.
Mitchell Scholar Dr. Sarae Sager Steps up to the Mic for Scholars Speak
In the 23rd episode of Scholars Speak, we catch up with Dr. Sarae Sager, the 2012 Mitchell Scholar from Caribou High School and a graduate of the University of New England School of Medicine. Listen up as Dr. Sager tells us about her third year of residency at one of the nation’s leading rehabilitation research hospitals — the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago — as well as her interest in transitioning to practice lifestyle medicine, how she coped with the rigors of medical school, the advice she has for Mitchell Scholars interested in pursuing careers in healthcare, and how the Mitchell Institute provided her with so much more than a scholarship.
August 2024
Picture Story: Giving the 2024 Mitchell Scholars a Warm Welcome
The Wells Conference Center on the University of Maine campus was close to capacity on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 3, when new Mitchell Scholars and their family members gathered to meet one another, learn about the broad range of supports and programs offered by the Mitchell Institute, hear some uplifting speeches, enjoy a delicious brunch, and have professional headshots taken. The 2024 Mitchell Scholars and their families were also treated to a visit from the founder of the Mitchell Institute, U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell.
2024 Mitchell Scholars Make Headlines
In late June, we announced the Class of 2024 Mitchell Scholars on our social media channels and website. We also announced the 184 new Mitchell Scholarship recipients in a wave of press releases to newspapers large and small across Maine, so Scholars’ communities can share in the celebration. Click here to peruse a sampling of the stories about the 2024 Mitchell Scholars that appeared in newspapers statewide.
Mitchell Scholar C.J. Moody Steps up to the Mic for Scholars Speak
In the 24th episode of Scholars Speak, we catch up with C.J. Moody, the 2015 Mitchell Scholar from Old Town High School, a graduate of the University of Southern Maine School of Nursing, a co-owner of Black Bear Cinemas in Orono, and a staff nurse at Palomar Medical Center in California. Listen up as Moody tells us about co-owning and operating a seven-screen independent movie theater, what led him to become a travel nurse, and how the Mitchell Institute provided him with so much more than a scholarship.
September 2024
Picture Story: Gala 2024 Was One for the Record Books
If Gala felt even more fizzy and energetic this year, that’s probably because Maine’s not-to-be-missed night featured a record number of sponsors and attendees — and they generously contributed an event-record number of dollars for Mitchell Scholars and Maine’s future.
New Carol Smith Markell Pioneer Scholar Award Will Support Northern Aroostook County Scholars
A Van Buren native has pledged a gift of $250,000 to endow a Mitchell Scholarship that will be awarded annually to a college-bound graduate of a public high school in the St. John River Valley area of Maine. For Carol Markell, funding the scholarship through the Mitchell Institute is a way to express her appreciation and support to the town of Van Buren and the St. John River region, and to give opportunity to the aspirations of its youth. Learn more about Markell’s motivations for endowing the Carol Smith Markell Pioneer award at the link below.
Picture Story: A Fellowship-Supported Trip to Ireland Is a Series of Firsts
For Deklin Fitzgerald, a rising junior media studies major at the University of Southern Maine and rapidly advancing photographer, his fellowship-funded trip to Ireland in early June was a series of firsts: the first time on a plane, the first time overseas, the first stamp on a first passport, and the first time traveling alone. He also was the first Mitchell Scholar to take advantage of a new and ongoing fellowship-funding partnership between the Maine Irish Heritage Center (MIHC) in Portland and the Mitchell Institute. See the picture story on Fitzgerald’s 11 days in the Emerald Isle at the link below.
October 2023
Reaching Peak Connection, Leadership, and Gratitude at MILE I
While the tried-and-true (and highly successful) formula of the Mitchell Institute’s signature fall event hasn’t varied much over the years, the 2024 edition of MILE I featured four catalysts: the largest number of participating Mitchell Scholars since the pandemic, a larger contingent of Institute staff (including three first-timers), a new cadre of Scholar Leaders, and a larger, more integrated group of alumni volunteers. The resulting synergy was potent.
Scholarship Director Casey Near Works to Bring Maine Students Closer to College
The Mitchell Institute’s mission — “To increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue, and achieve a college education”— looms large in Scholarship Director Casey Near’s mind. That’s why she is offering a new set of virtual and in-person resources to guidance counselors aimed at helping Maine high school students navigate the college search, application, and financing processes. “This past year, we received 2,000 applications for the Mitchell Scholarship, and we were able to select 184,” Near said. “We pride ourselves on all we’re able to do for our Scholars, but I’ve been thinking a lot about those other 1,800 students who were aiming for higher education. Maine has thousands of students each year who consider applying for college, and I want to find ways to support them on their path to college, even if they don’t become Mitchell Scholars.”
Picture Story: To India and Back on a Mitchell Institute Fellowship
To gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by many of the English language learners in her classroom at Horace Greeley Intermediate School in Queens, Mitchell Scholar Vanessa Cousins ’11 immersed herself in learning a new language this past summer. Fellowship funding from the Mitchell Institute made it possible for her to take part in an immersive five-week study-abroad experience at India’s Rabindra Bharati University, where she studied Bengali and attended several professional development lectures on Indian art, history, film, culture, government, and education. See the picture story at the link below to see what Cousins learned during the Fulbright experience organized by St. John’s University, where she recently graduated as a Project Leader Scholar, earning advanced degrees in both School Building Leader (SBL) and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
Mitchell Scholars Who Took Advantage of The Roux Institute Tuition Discount Step up to the Mic for Scholars Speak
In the 25th episode of Scholars Speak, we catch up with three Mitchell Scholars — Lauren Turcotte Seavey ’19, Mariah Kimball ’10, and Sarah McKeown ’08 (pictured clockwise from the upper left) — who have something in common: They all took advantage of an exclusive tuition discount available to Mitchell Scholars pursuing graduate degrees and certificates at The Roux Institute at Northeastern University. (ICYMI, all Mitchell Scholars are eligible for a 20% tuition discount toward master’s and certificate programs at The Roux Institute, in addition to scholarships through the Alfond Scholars Initiative.) Listen up as this trio talks about what motivated them to pursue graduate degrees at The Roux Institute, their experience with the admission process, and how they are advancing their career plans through their graduate studies.
November 2024
Case Helps Scholars ‘Do College Right’ with Video Advising Series
As the still-newish Scholar Research and Grants Manager, Kristen Case spends a lot of her days researching and analyzing Mitchell Scholar outcomes and developing funding proposals for foundations whose philanthropic investments are aligned with the Mitchell Institute’s mission. But there’s another Scholar-facing element to Case’s portfolio that’s new to the role: She also coaches Mitchell Scholars and Alumni who are interested in pursuing graduate study in the humanities and careers in academia—and pursuing opportunities that call for compelling personal and professional narratives. With her new video series, “How to Do College Right with Kristen,” Case is now able to take what she’s learned about teaching and advising college students during her 15-year career as a Professor of English at the University of Maine at Farmington and share it with all 625 currently enrolled Mitchell Scholars.
Mitchell Scholar Charis Loveland Joins the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society
With her most recent gift to the Mitchell Institute, Charis Loveland, the 1998 Mitchell Scholar from Bonny Eagle High School, a Bates College graduate, and global program manager for Amazon Web Services’ EPIC Emotional Intelligence Program, became the 19th and newest member of the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society. “The Mitchell Institute is my highest philanthropic priority,” said Loveland, who has made contributions to the Mitchell Institute matching the full amount of the scholarship she received. “Truc Huynh was my dear friend Trung (Troy) Huynh’s brother. Trung and I graduated together from Bates College in 2002. The Huynh family exemplifies what it means to be from Maine — they are kind, selfless, and generous. I’m honored to remember and support Truc’s legacy of service.”
Bean Named Mitchell Institute’s Higher Education Professional of the Year
Now in its third year, the award recognizes higher education professionals whose extraordinary service to students supports the Mitchell Institute’s mission of helping young people from Maine to pursue, afford, and achieve a college education. “Throughout Al Bean‘s 45 years of coaching and leadership in athletics at the University of Southern Maine, he has always emphasized the student in student-athlete, ensuring that young people participating in USM athletic teams put academics first and develop character and leadership through teamwork,” said Mitchell Institute President and CEO Jared Cash. It is my great honor to announce that the selection committee has named him our 2024 Higher Education Professional of the Year.”
Video: Scholarship Director Casey Near Explains the Mitchell Scholarship Application Timeline Change
In the video at the link below, Scholarship Director Casey Near explains why we have shifted the Mitchell Scholarship Application timeline up one month for 2024–2025 — to open December 1 and close March 1. (It’s all in an effort to make things easier for Maine high school students.)