On January 26, 58 high school students, parents, and guidance counselors in Hancock and Washington Counties learned more about four college scholarship opportunities during a Downeast Scholarship Open House sponsored by the Mission, Mitchell Institute, and Worthington Scholarship Foundation. The Open House was the first event of its kind these organizations have held together.
Attendees heard from representatives from each scholarship program as well as scholarship recipients currently enrolled in college. The college students talked about what it was like to apply for the scholarship they received, and what it meant to them to be a recipient. Mission Scholarship recipients Mya Abbott and Noah Carver, both spoke about their experiences.
Mya, a Davis Maine Scholar and first-generation college student who is attending Wheaton College, spoke about the difference the Davis Maine Scholarship made in her life. “This is more than a scholarship. I am given support from textbooks and tuition to toothpaste and shampoo. I receive technical help if I need it. My family can visit and the program coordinates that so they can have a window into my new, academic world. Based on my background and where I grew up, I would not have had an opportunity as generous as the Davis Maine Scholarship.”
The Mission worked with the Mitchell Institute and the Worthington Scholarship Foundation to hold the event because the Washington County and Hancock County students are eligible for scholarship opportunities outside of the Mission’s two programs. The scholarships highlighted at the Open House offer support that goes beyond just financial aid: all provide some type of mentoring, advising, and support to students as they navigate the transition to college and their time at school. The Mission Scholarships, Davis Maine Scholarship, and the Mitchell Institute also provide incidental support to students for unexpected financial challenges.
The Mission offers two different scholarship programs for students, the Mission Scholarships program and the Davis Maine Scholarship. In 2022, the Mission Scholarship program provided $208,625 to 77 college students from Hancock and Washington Counties, and each year the Davis Maine Scholarship offers six first-generational college students attending a partner high school, a full, four-year cost of attendance scholar to one of three partner colleges.
The Mission’s Scholarship application opens on Friday, February 10 and the Mission accepts applications until Friday, March 17.
To learn more about the scholarship opportunities available to Washington County and Hancock County students, explore our Mission Scholarships program, Davis Maine Scholarship program, and other presenters at the Open House, the Mitchell Insitute and Worthington Scholarship Foundation.