PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Presque Isle High School senior Katelyn Amero of Mapleton will represent rural high school students at a March 12 event in Washington, D.C., promoting the Success for Rural Students and Communities Act of 2020.
The bill would establish a series of post-high school grants for students in rural sections of the country. Amero’s strong belief in the benefits of the bill comes not just from personal belief, but experience.
Amero said she was invited to speak because of her participation in the Emerging Rural Leaders program at the University of Chicago last summer — a program similar to those that would be supported by the bill’s passage — as well as through Sen. Susan Collins’ connection to the law.
Collins is sponsoring the legislation, which could help many students in the rural and sparsely populated sections of her state.
Amero said that rural parts of the country face many difficulties unknown to their urban counterparts, especially a lack of local opportunities and internships.
“It’s kind of difficult to branch out in such an isolated and rural area,” Amero said. “I think it definitely poses a challenge, but it also helps you push yourself harder to get out into the world and succeed.”
Amero said her speech would reflect on her experience of being a student living in her rural Mapleton community. It would also reveal how her participation in the University of Chicago program “shaped [her] views and aspirations,” helping her prepare for a successful future.
The Emerging Rural Leaders program at the University of Chicago provides high school freshmen and juniors from rural and “small-town” high schools the chance to take courses at the University of Chicago over the summer.
Amero described her time at the University of Chicago as an “amazing experience.” She received the opportunity to take a course on biotechnology, during which she participated in hands-on biology research.
The subject matter went handily with Amero’s plans for the future: she hopes to major in biology or biochemistry, and to pursue a career in medicine.
Amero was excited for an opportunity to venture outside her hometown to represent students like herself nationwide. As she waits to hear back from college applications, she isn’t exactly sure what her future holds. But in the meantime, she’s happy to add her name to an initiative she wholeheartedly believes in.
“I’ll be representing my area, as well as rural areas everywhere,” Amero said. “I feel like this legislation in D.C. will kind of get the ball rolling for more opportunities for rural students around the country.”
