STORIES FROM OUR GRADUATES      

Volume 2 Issue 1, Winter 2017      

 
Our Mission    
  To encourage and empower Maine students who need additional support as they transition from high school to college and to connect them to the academic, personal, and financial resources they need for success in and beyond community college.

Lab Master, Teacher

"ECforME gave me a huge head start in college," says Raymond "RJ" Perry, shown here at left. He graduated from Eastern Maine Community College in 2009 with an associate degree in electrical engineering tech, transferred to the University of Maine for a bachelor's degree, and is finishing a master's degree from UM in spatial information science and engineering. He works at UM's  VEMI Lab.
    VEMI stands for Virtual Environments and Multimodal Interaction. The lab does research and trains experts in virtual reality.
    RJ started at VEMI as a python programmer and quickly advanced. Now, he's project manager, technical adviser, and the one who keeps the hardware running, while teaching his lab students how to apply their skills in a professional environment.
    He believes that "optional homework is often more important than required homework" and recommends doing it even if it isn't graded. Also, since deadlines are critical in college and at work, his tip is to set two phone reminders: one for an early date and one for the real date. "You can often trick your inner procrastinator with the first deadline, but if you don't, you'll want that backup alert."
Strong for Health
 
Ayla Haines  loves her job and the hands-on work with patients. She's a 2015 Central Maine Community College graduate in medical assisting. Even before she graduated, she was hired by Health Reach Community Health Centers for its Strong Area Health Center  affiliate.
    "I couldn't be where I am today," says Ayla, "without the help of Early College for ME." She credits Pauline Moreau, her Regional Director at CMCC, for helping her cope with college forms, understand financial aid, and find the resources she needed to get through tough courses.
    Ayla continues to work at the health center and is also back at college. This time she's at Kennebec Valley Community College for nursing. She plans to transfer for a bachelor's degree in nursing and then a master's degree. Her goal is to become a nurse practitioner.
    Her wish for students is to "follow your heart and never give up. Choose a career path that you can see yourself in long term, because when you love your job, it doesn't feel like work." For her, work is a place to let go of stress. "Focusing on others' problems helps me forget my own," she says. "I feel honored to have figured this out at such a young age!"
Home is Where the Heart Is

Gregory Jewell  works
remotely from his home in Hartland for Leadpages, a company that creates software and web applications to help both small and larger businesses grow. Greg is a quality assurance specialist. It's his job to make sure that clients receive the best possible quality and support. He also implements company policies and priorities.
    Greg enrolled at  Northern Maine Community College and  credits Early College for ME with helping him pay for college and prepare for the world of work. He graduated in 2009 with an associate degree in general technology for business. Degree in hand, Greg worked as a Microsoft support engineer in Fargo, ND, but moved back to Maine in 2013 to be closer to family. He landed his current position after searching nationwide.
    To students as well as graduates, he says, "You will have ups and downs in your career, but the amount of success you achieve is only limited by the amount of effort you put in and the risk you are willing to take."
 
CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE GRADUATES
We wish them continued success!
 
Do you know a student who could benefit from Early College for ME?
If so, speak to your school Guidance Counselor.

Maine Community College System | Early College for ME

  
Maine Community College System
323 State Street | Augusta, ME 04330