CASTINE, Maine — Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) recently announced its partnership with the Coalition for College. The coalition is partnered with more than 150 colleges and universities across the country.
This organization works to assist low-income, under-resourced, and first-generation students with the college admissions process. Derek Terrell is the director of member engagement for the Coalition of College. He said they help students with, "how to choose classes, how to advocate for yourself, all the way to talking about financial aid."
Maine Maritime is now the only state maritime academy in the country to join the coalition. It is the fifth school in Maine to partner with the organization, including Bowdoin College, Bates College, Colby College, and the University of New England.
Kimberly Reilly is the vice president of enrollment management & marketing at MMA. She said through this partnership, helping students get on the right track can start early on in their education.
"If we can get with those families those in the eighth grade and say let us partner with you through Coalition for College to build your high school transcript so that you're prepared to come to Maine Maritime to be successful, that's really the best thing that we could do," Reilly said.
Bowdoin College first joined the coalition in 2015. Claudia Marroquin, senior vice president and dean of admissions & student aid, said that as a first-generation college student herself, she knows how important the right guidance can be.
"I had really amazing counseling that allowed me to dream and to recognize a school like Bowdoin wouldn't necessarily be off the table because of finances," Marroquin said.
"It really is like trying to break down every barrier that might exist for students whether it's a knowledge gap, knowledge barrier, or a financial barrier," Terrell said.