Our Maine Street's Aroostook Issue 19 : Winter 2014 | Page 41

a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior in each of the
high schools in Aroostook County who plans to attend one
of the four colleges in The County (Husson University,
Northern Maine Community College, University of Maine
at Ft. Kent, or the University of Maine at Presque Isle). The
“target audience” is first generation college and economically
disadvantaged students, an untapped and underutilized
resource that needs to be cultivated and nurtured. As time
passes, the goal is to expand both the depth and breadth of
the scholarship to include more students for more years.
In addition, and equally important, in the fall, there will
be a special evening to showcase and celebrate the Gauvin
Scholars. It will be an auspicious event, inviting not only
the Gauvin Scholars and their families, but respected leaders
from around the county and the state. The University of
Maine at Presque Isle will be the host of this special event.
Scholarships are not a new endeavor for the Gauvins.
From 2000 until 2011, they headed the Gauvin Family
Scholarship and helped many Presque Isle High School
students continue on to receive a college education.
The Aroostook Aspirations Initiative is a restructuring
and expanding of that program to include high schools
throughout The County.
For further information about what else is being done to
help improve the economy of Aroostook County, please see
the third installment of this article in the next Our Maine
Street Aroostook. You can also visit Aroostook Aspirations
Initiative on our Web site at www.gauvinfund.org or on
Facebook and Twitter.

Photo Copyright © 2014 Janet McLaughlin
WINTER 2014 41