$5000 Partners Bank/Anne Spaulding
2022 Sanford High School
“I took on the biggest responsibility a high school student can have.”
Most students find it challenging to complete a technical program in high school. Lucille took two: welding and elementary education. She also took honors and college level classes while interning in an elementary classroom.
When Lucille’s brother was considering whether he would place his newborn daughter in foster care, she stepped in. She took all of her classes on Zoom and cared for her niece during the day. She took parenting classes and brought the baby to medical checkups. Lucille ended the year with straight A’s, a healthy baby, and continued her extra-curricular activities. Lucille’s brother and the baby’s mother are now raising her.
As one of two females in the welding program, Lucille was harassed by her male classmates, ridiculed for being a “small female.” Rather than retaliating, she responded with humor. She and her father started a father-daughter welding business.