OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Michael McCrea grew up in Biddeford, but a fateful move to Old Orchard Beach as a freshman in high school changed his life.

In an interview at Old Orchard Beach High School on May 31, McCrea said his parents were addicts and growing up in that environment was very difficult. But his freshman year he met a girl, she became his girlfriend, and eventually her parents took him in.

“They’ve been there for me every since,” McCrea said about that family.

“They’ve shown me what it’s like to live in a family that’s healthy and hardworking,” he said.

“I’m definitely lucky and blessed to have a family like that in my life,” he said. “They’ve definitely saved me.”

“I now refer to them as my family,” said McCrea, who has little contact with his biological family.

McCrea’s new “family” has done well by him. The 18-year-old, who said he’s always done well in school, is graduating fifth in his class. During his high school career, he played both basketball and football and was inducted into the National Honor Society his junior year. On Sunday, graduation day, he will be one of the featured speakers as the honors essayist.

His senior year, he took courses in the precision machining technology program at the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology. Through that experience, he became an intern during the month of May at Arundel Machine Tool. He will be starting with the company full time the day after graduation.

It’s his “dream job,” McCrea said. According to his top scholar profile, it’s a career “that offers great pay, great benefits, (has a) high demand for workers, and that fulfills his desire for a career that entails hands-on work and problem solving.”

In the fall, he plans to attend the precision machining technology program at York County Community College in Wells and earn an associate’s degree. He said Arundel Machine will plan his work schedule around his classes.

In describing his plans for future, McCrea said, “None of it would have even been possible without my ‘family.’ I’ve definitely overcome a lot, none of it would have been possible without my girlfriend and her family taking me in.”

Long-term goals for McCrea include, “getting a house, having a family of my own, and teach them better and treat them better than what I had growing up.”

“I can achieve those goals because of what they’ve (the family) done for me … and their sacrifices.”

When asked what words of advice he would give others who face problems similar to what he had growing up with his biological family, McCrea said he’d tell them to “write your own story.”

“I would say not everyone has had the opportunity to have a family take them in like I have.” But, he said, “don’t spend your life with people that threaten your happiness. … There’s always a way to separate yourself.”

McCrea said he would advise, “Make your own decisions. … No one can tell you what you’re going to do but you.”

— Associate Editor Dina Mendros can be reached at 282-1535, ext. 324 or [email protected].