Laurie S.

Laurie is a Junior in the Business Management program at the University of Maine at Augusta, Bangor campus. She is also a busy mother of two children and one step-daughter, whose ages range from thirteen to five. Laurie has already earned an Associate Degree in Liberal Studies, and she currently maintains a 3.0 GPA. Laurie is also an extremely active voice on the UCB campus, and is a well-known source of encouragement to current and potential students. This confident, outgoing Laurie that one could meet any day at UCB is a far cry from the potential student who began her academic journey over several ago.

When Laurie first considered going back to school, she was a single mom unsure of herself and whether to return to the work force or go to college. Lacking self-confidence and direction, Laurie enrolled in a local Women, Work, and Community Program (WWC), where she says she “slowly learned to take care of me in a positive way.” At WWC, Laurie met her MEOC advisor. Though the thought returning to school was “extremely scary for me,” after talking to [her MEOC advisor], Laurie was ready to enter college.

Laurie says that working with her MEOC advisor helped her “achieve my educational pursuit, and also gave me more faith in myself. According to her MEOC advisor, Laurie is “a role model for woman who want to turn their lives around; who want to evolve into confident, knowledgeable women who truly give back what they have been given. Watching Laurie grow and change over the past few years has been a source of great pleasure for me.”

Laurie says that her future plans are to “Go all the way. I have a goal and that is to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree or even higher. For the first time in my life I can honestly and truly say ‘I AM PROUD OF MYSELF.’ Dreams do come true, but it lies in your hands.”