The Mid-Coast AAUW (American Association of University Women) has selected Margaret (Maggie) Raymond, Montville, as this year’s scholarship recipient. The Hutchinson Center is honored to partner with the Mid-Coast AAUW chapter in offering this annual scholarship to a first time college student (or one who has been out of college for a while and continuing their education) to cover the cost of one college class including tuition, fees, books and required materials at the UMaine Hutchinson Center.
Photo: Front Row -left to right: Mary Ellen Wilson, So. Thomaston, Midcoast AAUW scholarship chair and Judy Dinmore, Cape Elizabeth, Midcoast AAUW President
Back Row - left to right: Dr. Sue McCullough, director and associate dean, UMaine Hutchinson Center; Nancy Boyington, assistant director; and Margaret (Maggie) Raymond, Montville, 2012 AAUW Scholarship Awardee.
At the June meeting of the Mid-Coast AAUW, held at the Waterfront Restaurant in Camden, Raymond was recognized for her outstanding scholarship and continued excellent work in the health care field. Raymond thanked the AAUW members very much, from the bottom of her heart, for such a special gift and for their generosity. Not only is the scholarship a financial blessing, but it also is a recognition that someone believes in you. Accepting the award, Maggie explains that she remembers considering being a nurse as far back as her childhood. She got started in the medical profession three decades ago, when she earned a degree in medical laboratory science from the University of Maine in Augusta. For 15 years she worked as a technologist.
More recently, she earned her associate degree in nursing from UMA in May 2011. She took and passed her board examinations and started working at Waldo County General Hospital full-time on the medical/surgical floor.
“I love my job, I love my shift,” she said. “I feel really lucky – I feel like I’ve landed in a gold mine.” At WCGH, Raymond said she has learned that being a nurse is not an easy job – she said she did not realize how intense the work could be sometimes. She said she appreciates that the hospital offers a program for new nurses where they can shadow a more seasoned nurse for several months to help them learn the ropes. Though she already has two degrees, Raymond isn’t done with her education. She’s currently working on earning her bachelor’s degree in nursing through the University of Maine, taking classes in Belfast at the Hutchinson Center.
Raymond is also appreciative of the support she receives at the Hutchinson Center and encourages other Hutchinson Center students to be sure to ask what’s available. Along with the Hutchinson Center, Raymond said her family and friends have helped her along the way. She said she thinks those people believed in her more than she did in herself, at times, and she remains thankful for their help. “I couldn’t have done it without my very supportive network,” she said.
If you have thought about beginning or going back to college, now is the time to begin the process. Call the Hutchinson Center at 338-8000 for an appointment with an academic advisor who will guide you every step of the way and also help with the financial aid and scholarship process.
