Two local students receive prestigious Mitchell Scholarships

By Ed Pierce

Two 2023 graduates of Windham High School are recipients of $10,000 college scholarships awarded by the Mitchell Institute, a nonprofit scholarship and research organization.

Windham High's Annie Jackson, left, and Victoria Leavitt
have been named as Mitchell Scholars for 2023 and will
receive $10,000 Mitchell Scholarships to be used for
college studies and the honor includes personal, academic,
and professional support from the Portland-based
Mitchell Institute. COURTESY PHOTOS 

Windham High’s Annie Jackson and Victoria Leavitt are among 166 students from across Maine who have been named as Mitchell Scholars and will receive Mitchell Scholarships, which are split into four $2,500 installments and include personal, academic and professional support.

The Portland-based Mitchell Institute was founded by former U.S. Senator George J. Mitchell of Maine to improve college outcomes for students from every community in the state.

Mitchell Institute President and CEO Jared Cash said that The Mitchell Institute is honored to offer the scholars a $10,000 scholarship along with signature events and resources that are designed to meet scholars where they are and support them in college and well into their professional careers.

“Each Scholar represents the best of our great state and reflects Senator Mitchell’s vision of investing in young people so they, in turn, can strengthen their communities,” Cash said.

Class of 2023 Mitchell Scholars graduated in June from high schools across the state and will soon pursue their academic goals and career aspirations in higher education. They will do so with the support of the broader Mitchell Institute community, which includes more than 3,000 alumni who mentor Mitchell Scholars and hundreds of donors whose philanthropic investments continue to sustain the Institute’s ability to fund the scholars, Cash said.

Throughout college and the years following, the Mitchell Scholars will have opportunities to engage with Mitchell Institute programs and resources focusing on financial assistance, leadership training, and academic and career support, nonprofit officials say.

The new class of Mitchell Scholars will join 437 currently enrolled scholars who collectively will receive more than $5 million in awards from the Mitchell Institute during their college careers.

All the college-bound students in the 2023 scholar class, including Jackson and Leavitt, have distinguished themselves through academic excellence and community involvement. With financial and programmatic support from the Mitchell Institute, some 88 percent of Mitchell Scholars complete college and achieve a degree, compared with 58 percent nationally, and more than 90 percent earn all As and Bs in their college courses.

This year, the Mitchell Institute is awarding $10,000 scholarships to 20 additional Mitchell Scholars as part of an expansion plan to increase the number of scholarships the Mitchell Institute awards statewide over the next several years, Cash said.

“Because of the strength of the outcomes we measure that are a direct result of the scholarship and all of the wraparound supports we offer and to help meet the acute challenges facing our society and workforce, we recognized that now is the time to make this significantly increased investment in Maine’s young people,” Cash said. “Each Scholar represents the best of our great state and reflects Senator Mitchell’s vision of investing in young people so they, in turn, can strengthen their communities.”

This fall Jackson will attend Husson University to study occupational therapy and will play field hockey for the school. She was captain of the Windham High Alpine Ski Team and a member of the National Honors Society, French Honors Society, Yearbook Committee, Mental Health Advocacy Club, Key Club, and Unified Club.

“I would like to thank my teachers, Erica Stowell and Margaret Rickert, along with all my field hockey coaches, for motivating and pushing me to do my best. I would also like to thank my mom for all her support and encouragement,” Jackson said.

Leavitt will attend the University of Southern Maine and plans to major in psychology with a concentration in development and linguistics. While in high school she was the president of the school’s Latin Honors Society, a three-year leader of gaming club Geek's Templar, and a proactive member of the Genders and Sexualities Alliance. She also performed in WHS concert band and choir ensembles and the Windham Chamber Singers.

“While I would like to thank all my teachers for their continued support, I would like to extend my greatest appreciation to my Latin teacher and Latin Honor Society advisor, David Dyke. He has helped me realize my love for the Latin language and has been a positive influence throughout my four years at Windham High School.” <