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University of Maine at Fort Kent

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Enrollment & Advancement Center • University of Maine at Fort Kent • 23 University Drive, Fort Kent, ME 04743

Maine Higher Education Foundation Scholarship Awarded to Vanesa Pelletier

March 18, 2019

Note: this is an archived news release. As such, the information provided may no longer apply.

Maine Bankers' Association scholarship luncheon photo of the attendees in 2019
Chris W. Pinkham, president of the Maine Bankers Association; Tony Gauvin, UMFK Associate Professor of Electronic Commerce; Ricky Gervais, step-father of honoree; Vanesa Pelletier, honoree; Karen Deschaine, mother of honoree; Patricia Weigel, Norway Savings Bank President & CEO, chair of the Maine Banker’s Association; and David Cambridge, Katahdin Trust Senior Vice President, Commercial Services.                                        
 

The trustees of the Maine Higher Education Assistance Foundation (MeHEAF) are pleased to announce the awarding of a scholarship for $1,000 to Vanesa Pelletier of Frenchville.  Vanesa is a senior business management major at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, where she maintains a high grade-point average. 

Chris Pinkham, president of the Maine Bankers Association, made the presentation to Pelletier at a luncheon ceremony on Friday, March 15th at the UMFK’s Nowland Hall faculty dining room with members of UMFK’s Professional Studies Division faculty, administrators, and her family, in attendance.

Participating schools select scholarship recipients who are in their second, third, or fourth year of study and whom are Maine high school graduates majoring in a business-related subject.  The schools choose recipients based upon academic standing.  The MeHEAF awards all scholarships for second semester expenses.

Vanesa Pelletier is a 2015 graduate of Wisdom High School. She works for Northern Maine Medical Center in Administration as an administrative secretary.

Organizers formed the Maine Higher Education Assistance Foundation in the 1950s as a guarantee fund for student loans.  The founders included a wide range of banks, businesses, community organizations and individuals.  In 1990, the MeHEAF trustees, to continue the original intent of the founding members, initiated a scholarship program funded by the return on the original loan guarantee funds.  The Maine Bankers Association, now located in Westbrook, manages the fund. 

MeHEAF has given 31 scholarships to UMFK students to date. UMFK also has a plaque with former student names and year awarded, which the University displays in the Grindle Conference Room, located in Cyr Hall.