2019 Poland Regional High School
$2500 Biddeford Savings Bank Mainely Character Scholarship
Facing health issues and bullying she could have given up. Instead she found her passion – helping others.
Madeleine suffered from mental illness and depression for years. She missed the first semester of her freshman year for a serious but very effective treatment. Starting school was difficult, and she was bullied by peers. At first, she wanted to defend herself and fight back, but found the strength to be kind instead.
She found her passion when she began volunteering in the Life Skills classroom. She has continued to volunteer every other day. She also completed a 160-hour internship in an elementary school special education classroom and plans to become a special education teacher.
Madeleine pulls from her own struggles to help others. She is both teacher and friend to her students. She takes them out to dinner and the mall. She volunteers for Special Olympics and Unified Basketball, a sports program for special needs teens. Last year she hosted a Halloween party at her home for her friends and the life skills students. For some, this was their first chance to attend a typical high school party.
Madeleine will study at the University of Maine Farmington.