BIDDEFORD — Mercedes McCorrison ”“ known as “Sadie” to some ”“ smiled brightly last week as she thought about graduating from Biddeford High School.

“I’m nervous. I’m excited,” she said. “I’m more excited than anything. I’m excited … to finally be able to venture out on my own and do my own thing, more or less.” McCorrison has been accepted to Southern Maine Community College, where she plans to study education.

The 18-year-old wasn’t always so optimistic about school, though, and she’s candid about her past struggles.

Originally from Westbrook, McCorrison moved to Biddeford her freshman year following her parents’ divorce. Then, after a “huge fight” with her mother, she moved to Standish to live with her father.

She spent some time at Bonney Eagle High School, where she played soccer until a knee injury sidelined her permanently. She later returned to Biddeford High School, where she stayed for the next three years.

“I wasn’t a bad kid but I made poor decisions,” McCorrison said, as she recalled “partying a lot” during the weekends of her first year in high school. “I didn’t care about my grades, that’s all I wanted to do.”

At one point, she was failing two classes. “My grades were not the best, I can say that,” she said.

Fortunately, McCorrison’s stepmother and two BHS teachers took note of the path she was on and intervened.

At first, their advice to turn her life around didn’t take, said McCorrison. “At that point I was like, ”˜No, I don’t care,’” she said.

But then something hit her ”“ literally. “It wasn’t bad but I got hit by a car my freshman year,” she said. “Even though it didn’t like hurt me hurt me, it made me realize, ”˜OK, I really have to smarten up because it could’ve been a lot worse than it is.’”

Since that moment, with the help of her stepmother and those teachers, she said she’s pushed herself as hard as she possibly can to succeed. “If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said. “I probably would’ve dropped out to be completely honest.”

McCorrison, who said she has a learning disability, clarified that it wasn’t easy to turn things around, and it’s still hard for her to maintain that success. “I’ve struggled from my freshman year up to my senior year,” she said. “I still struggle to this day.”

It’s her ability to handle that struggle that has changed, she said, and her accomplishments speak for themselves. “My freshman year I was at a fifth-grade reading level,” said McCorrison. “Now I’m a senior and I’m at a college reading level.”

During her time at BHS, McCorrison even became one of the school’s mentors ”“ upperclassmen who guide a handful incoming freshmen during orientation.

“It’s a tremendous experience,” she said of being a mentor. “It’s awesome. You get to meet new people, different types of people. You get to know the other mentors as well. It’s just a great experience overall.”

As of yet, McCorrison has no plans for the summer, but said she might go to New Hampshire to work with her aunt, who’s a nurse. Once she starts college at SMCC in the fall, she plans to study to become a teacher or a sign-language teacher. Whatever she ends up doing, she wants to work with children, she said.

Looking back on the last four years, McCorrison said U.S. history and math were her two favorite classes in high school, and when asked what she’ll miss most about BHS, she was quick to answer with, “The teachers.”

“There’s a special connection you get with your high school teachers because they see you grow and transition through your four years of high school,” she said.

— Staff Writer Angelo J. Verzoni can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].