NMCC students
named to All-Maine Academic Team
PRESQUE ISLE — Two Northern Maine Community College students are among 13 students from across the state named to the 2012 All-Maine Academic Team for two-year colleges. Michelle Longley of Presque Isle and Gene Martin of Mapleton were recently honored at a ceremony hosted by the Maine Community College System board of trustees.
NMCC BUSINESS STUDENTS Michelle Longley and Gene Martin receive congratulations from Kris Doody, center, chair of the Maine Community College System board of trustees, during a recent ceremony in Augusta for being named to the 2012 All-Maine Academic Team. 
In addition to being recognized on a statewide level, Martin and Longley each received a $500 scholarship in honor of their accomplishment. Longley was also one of 50 students nationwide named a Coca-Cola All-State Community College Gold Scholar, earning her a $1,500 scholarship. She also had the distinction of being named a Phi Theta Kappa Guistwhite Scholar. A panel of judges selected 20 Guistwhite Scholars nationally from a pool of more than 2,200 applicants. In April, she was presented a $5,000 scholarship to put toward completing a baccalaureate degree during PTK’s annual convention in Nashville.
Longley has served as secretary for the NMCC chapter of Phi Theta Kappa since her induction in April 2011. She is a Dean’s List student, earning a 3.89 grade point average while majoring in both medical office administration and medical coding. Longley has made the most of her education and has gained valuable hands-on training while serving as a work-study student in the NMCC Health Center. She has been active in a number of campus activities including a Mother’s Day flower sale, NMCC’s Connect to Complete mentoring program, the annual Great American Smoke Out and Red Cross blood drives.
“The one thing that stands out about Michelle is that she is willing to help me, as the instructor of many of her courses, without one bit of hesitation,” said NMCC instructor Ann Osgood. “With the software we use in the program, it can sometimes be frustrating to try to explain to students how to ‘find’ this and ‘fix’ that, but Michelle is always ‘right on it!’ helping me out. I will truly miss her presence in my class when she graduates.”
Martin, vice president of leadership for Phi Theta Kappa, is a business major at NMCC. He is a Dean’s List student who has earned a 3.79 grade point average. Aside from his academic accomplishments, Martin is a volunteer for the campus mentoring program, a Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary member, and vice president of NMCC Student Senate. He has organized a number of campus events to engage both the student body and campus community. For the past two years, he has been a lead organizer for Focus the Nation forums on campus. These events were unique to the campus, being the only of its kind in New England in 2011 and then sharing that distinction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2012.
“Gene is passionate about the development of clean energy; it was evident in his efforts to put on such a large scale forum. His ambition brought the national spotlight to our campus regarding a very global issue,” said PTK adviser Lori Googins.
The All-Maine Academic Team is part of the national Phi Theta Kappa program, an international honor society for two-year colleges. Students are nominated and selected for the team by their college based on outstanding academic achievement, leadership and service. The All-Maine Academic Team program is co-sponsored by the Bangor Daily News, Creative Awards of Scarborough, Phi Theta Kappa, and the MCCS.
