With the scholarship season in Aroostook, there is a very special opportunity available for 16 County seniors. Aroostook Aspirations Initiative’s Gauvin County Scholarship opened Feb. 1. One senior from each of the 16 Aroostook County high schools, will receive a $1,000 scholarship and become the first class of Gauvin Scholars. AAI has an endowment goal of $5 million in 10 years. This will allow the program to eventually assist more than 100 County students each year.
The program doesn’t just award scholarships; it has organized opportunities for student engagement and mentoring throughout the scholars’ college careers. These opportunities, part of the six-point program, are organized and run by AAI.
In the summer after graduation, the Gauvin Scholars will have a chance to get to know each other and build relationships that will provide support throughout their college experiences. In the fall, the students will be celebrated and showcased at an event entitled “An Evening With The Stars.” The following spring, the program will hold an Aspirational Weekend where the scholars will be exposed to tools they can use to navigate more easily through college, learn how to best transition into the workforce, and how to find the right fit in a career.
AAI will also provide entrepreneurial training to those scholars who show an interest in running their own business. “The Dream-Catcher Fund” assures that when Gauvin Scholars meet unexpected expenses, ones that might be a stumbling block to them completing their college education, there is help available to them.
Northern and southern Aroostook County seniors have a March 1 deadline, while central Aroostook County seniors have a March 15 deadline.
The AAI scholarship committee will begin reviewing applications in March, and a representative will present the scholarships to the recipients in June.
Seniors should visit the AAI website, www.gauvinfund.org, to apply through the online application.
