[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6857]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    AROOSTOOK ASPIRATIONS INITIATIVE

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I would like to engage my fellow Senator 
from Maine in a colloquy regarding a new citizen-led education 
enterprise in our great State, the Aroostook Aspirations Initiative, 
AAI.
  Aroostook County, where I was born and raised, is defined by an 
extraordinary work ethic and the enduring spirit of its people. It is 
Maine's northernmost and largest county, and its economy depends on an 
able and educated workforce. Too often, the goals of hard-working 
students in Aroostook County are impeded by the costs of higher 
education and the complexities of choosing a career. Thanks to the 
extraordinary commitment of Ray and Sandy Gauvin, those obstacles are 
being addressed in dramatic and dynamic ways.
  Cognizant of the needs of students and indebted to a community that 
enabled their own success, the Gauvins have designed a multifaceted 
program aimed not only at educating but also empowering students in 
Aroostook County. Through AAI, they have established a scholarship 
fund, launched by their own generous donation, for high school students 
seeking postsecondary education. These scholarships target economically 
disadvantaged and first-generation college students throughout the 
county. AAI collaborates with the University of Maine at Presque Isle 
and at Fort Kent, the Northern Maine Community College, Husson 
University, area businesses and entrepreneurs to offer seminars to 
guide students throughout their postsecondary education. Students can 
also team up with Aroostook County employers through a cooperative 
internship program that gives them practical experience in careers they 
would like to pursue. These internships help lay the foundation for 
invaluable relationships with professional mentors.
  I am extremely proud of the Gauvins, the business leaders with whom 
they have joined forces, and the accomplished students they have 
supported and will continue to assist through this wonderful program. I 
am confident that this initiative will enrich Aroostook County, its 
families, its future workforce, and its economy.
  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.

                          ____________________