ORONO, Maine — "They are the future of Maine," former Democratic senator from Maine George Mitchell said.
Supporting the education of young Mainers has been a key focus for Mitchell since his tenure in the U.S. Senate.
Since retiring from the U.S. Senate in 1995, Mitchell and the Mitchell Scholarship have helped more than 3,600 from across Maine attend college.
"Every child in America ought to have the opportunity to go as high and as far as his or her talent will take them," Mitchell said during the event Saturday at the Wells Conference Center at the University of Maine.
In 1999, a grant helped Mitchell establish the Mitchell Institute, which works alongside scholarship recipients to support them with various resources as they complete their education and after they graduate.
"When it came to COVID, it was really hard to connect with students and staff on campus, but the Mitchell Institute always had my back," Lauren Turcotte-Seavey, a 2019 Mitchel Scholar and a 2023 UMaine graduate said.
Turcotte-Seavey was one of more than 200 in attendance for a welcome breakfast for new Mitchell Scholars and their families on Saturday.
"I don't really know a lot about college here in America, I'm also a first-generation immigrant. A lot of this process has been on my own. I'm actually really excited to use the Mitchell scholarship resources and get that help I need," Abdullah Alzamili said.
Alzamili is a first-generation college student and will be attending Bates College in the fall.
According to Institute data, about 45 percent of recipients are first-generation college students.
"Whatever their circumstance is, whatever their background, they have the same chance that I did," Mitchell said.
According to the Mitchell Institute, roughly 90 percent of Mitchell Scholars plan to root their lives in Maine upon graduation or shortly after.