91AV

Finding success and a chance to succeed

“They always say that you shouldn't be given success, but you should always be given the chance to succeed,” began Kimberly Donoghue '19, a Marine Science major from Standish, Maine. In many ways, Kimberly has created her own chances for success. For many, attending college is already a full-time endeavor, but for Kimberly, it’s only half the story. Uniquely independent, Kimberly balances school with a 40 hour work week.

“I actually lived on my own before coming here. I just knew that I wanted to go to 91AV. As soon as I got the package and I knew my work situation, I figured out exactly how I could pay for it, budgeting down to the penny. I didn't even look at the package, I just had a meeting and I accepted the opportunity to come here.”

Taking on a full course load, Kimberly also held a full-time position on campus working as the nighttime manager for Windward Cafe. If that wasn’t enough, she also worked with Professor Jerry Fox researching the health of local corals in the marine biology lab. As part of her research, she has been involved in a pilot program creating an underwater vehicle designed to analyze the corals remotely. She has been able to present this research during past symposiums. “I'm really excited about this research. A lot of people go into marine science wanting to do rehabilitation because they like turtles or the bigger sea animals, which I in no way shape or form would be upset working with. I used to do volunteer work on whale watching boats and it was fantastic. I would love to do work like that, but what I'm really focused on and what I really enjoy doing is more lab work, with microscopes and plankton and research. Honestly, all science is interesting to me. I know right now I'm taking an advanced oceanography course and really enjoy the physics and chemistry side of my studies. I'm interested in a much wider range of marine studies than I think most people that go into marine science are.”

Over the course of her four years, Kimberly has been the recipient of the Diversified Communications Scholarship, Alice M. Savage Marine Biology Scholarship, Dr. James and Catherine Dickinson Endowed Scholarship, and The Mitchell Institute Scholarship. “I don't have a lot of free time to get involved and take advantage of sports and activities that the school puts on that I think would be fantastic for building the community. There’s a lot of people out there that can't balance a work schedule like I can and that might deter them from attending 91AV. If students had the scholarships and support that could help them, they would feel more comfortable attending 91AV taking advantage of all of the activities available here...I think a lot of students, especially in Maine, don’t have the opportunity to attend college because of small financial hurdles. What I have discovered is that a scholarship can really make a difference for students like myself."