Aroostook Aspirations Initiative

Floor Speech

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Mr. KING. Mr. President, I wish to associate myself with the comments of the senior Senator from Maine. I, too, am proud to commend the Aroostook Aspirations Initiative, AAI, and the Gauvin County Scholarship Fund for their efforts to increase educational and economic opportunity in Aroostook County. AAI's partnerships with all 16 of the county's high schools and all 4 of the county's institutions of higher education serve as a model of what forward-thinking private citizens, schools, colleges, universities, and businesses can accomplish when they set out to better their communities.

The initiative takes on the goal of increasing access to education for first-generation college students and those from lower income families, clearly critical in its own right as a matter of fairness and pairs it with measures designed to harness the benefits these students will bring to the local economy. Scholarship recipients are directed to local colleges and universities, allowing them to forge connections with local business leaders through AAI-coordinated internships. As a capstone, AAI matches scholarship recipients with mentors who help them craft business plans in their senior year of college, ensuring that each graduate has a roadmap as they enter the workforce. The first group of scholarship recipients will graduate in 2015, and I look forward to observing their accomplishments and the added energy they will bring to their communities.

None of this would be possible without the vision and generosity of Ray and Sandy Gauvin, along with that of the businesses, schools, colleges, and community organizations that have heeded their call in supporting AAI. The Gauvins' personal experience, as a first-generation college student and a career teacher, respectively, clearly inspired the effort they have spearheaded. As they noted in an interview with the Bangor Daily News, they believe ``education is the great equalizer,'' and I could not agree more. I thank the Gauvins and the initiative's business and education partners for stepping up to support the county's next generation of leaders. I cannot wait to see, with their communities behind them, what these students will achieve.

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