A self-described “STEM gal,” Samira Ahmed loves science, technology, engineering and math. She plans on becoming a neurologist so she can help people overcome medical problems in the body’s control center. “All parts of the body are important, but the most important is the brain,” Ahmed says. “Unlocking the secrets of the brain is very […]

Empathy, tolerance and understanding aren’t just nice words to Natalie Gale. They are the ideals that fueled her efforts to combat the isolation, complacency and disregard that she believes many immigrants encounter in her community and beyond. Gale, 18, established Cultural Communications, a program that allowed Cape Elizabeth High School students to mentor and provide […]

Isaac Bennett developed an interest in how things work the old-fashioned way – trying to fix toys and other things he broke when he was a kid. He learned the basics of modern programmable machines while building Lego Mindstorm robots. He became enthralled with combustion engines by fixing lawn mowers left at the town dump, […]

The turning point for Mikayla Martin came during her freshman year at South Portland High School. The way Martin remembers it, a special education case manager warned her that if she didn’t make some changes, she wasn’t going to amount to much. Martin admits that she had little interest in school at the time and […]

When Caleb Bailey heads to the University of Maine this fall, he will enter as a sophomore, skipping a whole year of early morning introductory classes and exams, and saving about $24,000 in the process. Bailey, 18, will be the first student to graduate from Thornton Academy and decide to attend the university’s College of […]

Josh Lodish has spent a good portion of his time at Waynflete School working on social justice issues, and he’d like to become a civil rights lawyer, but he’s got more global plans for the next year or so. Lodish, who graduates this month from the private school in Portland, was a Project Respect mentor […]

Miranda Mastera stopped going to high school during her junior year. She was in an unhealthy relationship at the time and family upheaval at home made it impossible for her to continue, she says. She tried to return for her senior year but didn’t follow through. Last fall she gave it one more try, and […]