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Monday, July 16, 2012

2012 Kenneth Jordan Higgins Scholarship Recipients Announced‏

Portland, Maine - The United Way of Greater Portland Foundation, Trustee of the Kenneth Jordan Higgins Scholarship Fund, has awarded six deserving young adults Kenneth Jordan Higgins Scholarships to further their education for the 2012-2013 academic year. We are pleased to announce the following recipients:

Vanessa Blair-Glantz (Cape Elizabeth High School) is an enthusiastic student of biology and is most fascinated when learning about what makes life work. She is excited to attend Tufts University in the September. Throughout high school Vanessa spent significant time volunteering in her community from helping the Land Trust maintain their trails in Cape Elizabeth, to assisting with food drives, serving food in soup kitchens, and helping the Salvation Army through her membership in the National Honor Society. She also put her unique welding skills to work by designing new seats for the town’s Water Extrication Team emergency truck to help them be up to code. In addition to all of Vanessa’s volunteer work she also attained a top 10 rank in her graduating class. Vanessa plans to continue her academically rigorous schedule at Tufts.

Marion Fearing (South Portland High School) is a self-proclaimed bibliophile and is excited to enter Wheaton College as an English major. Despite having to take care of her mother, who was injured in a car accident, Marion was able to graduate in the top ten of her class. She also graduated from high school with six awards for excellence in English and Latin. Marion was involved in over 11 clubs during high school and hopes to continue to be equally involved on campus at Wheaton College in the fall.

Zoe Johnson (Cape Elizabeth High School) is a vibrant member of the Greater Portland community, spending her time volunteering at Village Crossings Retirement Community, as well as doing service trips in Mexico assisting local orphanages while practicing her Spanish. Equally involved with her high school, Zoe was president of Central African Vision and a member of the National Honor Society and the Maroon Medal Society. The strength of her academic skills is evident  she was presented with Cape Elizabeth High School’s French, History and Spanish Awards.  Zoe will continue to practice her Spanish and French as a potential languages major at Tulane University. Zoe hopes that attending Tulane will continue to help her hone her language acquisition in French by immersing herself in New Orleans Creole culture.

Jacob Moberg (Portland High School), was very active and involved throughout high school in the National Technical Honor Society. He was a recipient of the College of the Atlantic Book Award and spent his free time volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, while also taking classes at the Maine College of Art in digital photograph and photo realistic drawing. He is a gifted artist and writer and will be attending St. Joseph’s College of Maine in the fall in hopes of becoming a teacher. Teaching is Jacob’s desired field of study because, as Jacob says, he is happiest when helping others and feels that teaching is the best way to do so.

Kristen Peters (Falmouth High School) has a passion for biology, health sciences, and anatomy that stems from a fascination with the complexity of the human body and life in general. Kristen will be attending her dream school, Boston College, in the fall to acquire a degree in nursing. She first realized her interest in nursing during the last two years of high school while volunteering at Mercy Hospital. Kristen was very involved in her high school as a member of Key Club where she participated in Habitat for Humanity benefit concerts and Wisdom Tea at Ocean View Retirement Community. She took part in Yearbook, Photography and Spanish Clubs as well as volunteering for Spring Fair and the Ronald MacDonald House. Kristen is excited to start at Boston College and begin her clinicals at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Alexandra Thompson (Portland High School) is an enthusiastic student of anatomy and physiology and will attend Saint Joseph’s College of Maine to pursue a degree in nursing. Alexandra is an involved member of the Portland community, volunteering at the Barron Center nursing home and Books Revisited. She played an integral role in her high school serving on the student Executive and Peer Mediation Boards, as well as being an active member in the club SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) and playing on her varsity field hockey team. While attaining her nursing degree, Alexandra will also continue to play field hockey during college.

The United Way of Greater Portland Foundation was established in 1997 to provide a long-term base of support and flexibility to meet the ever-changing needs of the future, while helping fund current initiatives and projects that are changing lives in Greater Portland.

The Kenneth Jordan Higgins Scholarship Fund was established in the Last Will and Testament of Harlan B. Higgins of South Portland in memory of his son, Kenneth Jordan Higgins.

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