Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. X I V J U N E 2 4 , 2 0 2 4 14 H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N / P R O F E S S I O N A L D E V E L O P M E N T F O C U S Pomp and circumstance Graduation season is always meaningful for Beverly Worthington, who was hon- ored by omas College this May with an honorary doctorate of humane letters, as was her late husband posthumously. At the ceremony, she received a single red rose from each of five grad- uating Worthington scholars. ey included Shawn Von Oesen, a com- munications major who completed his degree in three years and will return to the Waterville school this fall for his Master's degree, using a portion of his $12,000 Worthington Scholarship for graduate school. "For me it made the difference between going to the college that was cheapest and being able to choose omas, which felt like home," the 21-year-old from Unity says. On Maine's midcoast, Anna Coleman — who financed her English studies at Husson University in Bangor via a $16,000 Worthington Scholarship, along with other scholarships and loans — is making the most of a career she embarked on while still in school. In Belfast at the Waldo County YMCA , the 22-year-old from Swanville is hon- ing her skills in writing, photography and storytelling as the organization's social media manager. Not yet sure where she wants to be in 10 years, she says, "I'd like to be working somewhere that I can express my creativity — in art and writing — while helping and connecting with others. at may be something to what I do now with social media mar- keting, or maybe more of community outreach, or something else." Like a proud parent or grandpar- ent, Beverly Worthington celebrates the accomplishments of the thousands of Worthington scholars she and her late husband have supported. While she's not aware of any female gradu- ates that have gone into aviation, she's impressed that many are pursuing technology fields, "where the barriers seem to be gone." "ey've all been through hard times," she adds, "but they're deter- mined to go out and get those jobs that are waiting for them, and to fol- low their dreams." Renee Cordes, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at rcordes @ mainebiz.biz BOWDOIN INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL JUNE 24 – AUG 2 bowdoinfestival.org TICKETS & EVENTS CALENDAR Presenting renowned classical musicians in Brunswick, Maine RIGHT: Jeremy Frey (Passamaquoddy, born 1978), Cathedral, 2018, ash, sweetgrass, and dye, 21 1/4 x 10 x 10 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Museum purchase with support from the Peggy and Harold Osher Acquisitions Fund, Bernstein Acquisition Fund, and Barbara Goodbody, 2018.15a,b. © Jeremy Frey. Image courtesy Luc Demers. ON VIEW NOW L E F T : Peggy Bacon (United States, 1895–1987), Peggy Bacon from Off with their Heads!, 1934, clothbound hardcover book with 39 offset lithograph illustrations on paper, 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 x 1/2 inches. Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Museum purchase with support from the Barbara Cash Collection, 2023.31. Image courtesy Petegorsky/Gipe Photo ON VIEW NOW ADD SOME ART TO YOUR SUMMER PL ANS SCAN FOR MORE EVENTS » C O N T I N U E D F RO M PA G E 1 2 Worthington scholar Anna Coleman was one of five valedictorians in Husson University's 2024 graduating class. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y A N N A C O L E M A N

• Cover