Robin Caron, 2003 Mitchell Scholar. Robin Caron remembers what it felt like to be named a Mitchell Scholar. “It felt as if the entire state was saying, ‘We believe in you,’” she said. Caron, a 2003 Mitchell Scholar from Portage Lake and valedictorian of Ashland District School, has joined the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society,… Read more »
News & Events
The Quiet Architecture of Hope: Inside Jeff Candura’s Work at the Mitchell Institute
Jeff Candura at the 2025 Mitchell Institute Gala. Talk to Jeff Candura for even a few minutes, and a theme rises steadily to the surface: hope. Hope in young people, hope in what education can unlock, and hope in what Maine becomes when opportunity is not determined by zip code or circumstance. It is a… Read more »
Advancing Opportunity Through Service: Mitchell Scholar Alum Sean Sibley Joins the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society
The Mitchell Institute is proud to introduce Sean Sibley, a 2010 Mitchell Scholar from Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln, as the newest member of the Truc Huynh Alumni Giving Society, a recognition honoring alumni who demonstrate exceptional dedication to strengthening opportunities for future Scholars. For Sibley, joining the giving society represents both gratitude and purpose. “It… Read more »
The Heart of the Game: Paul Liwanga’s Journey Through Community, Opportunity, and Soccer
When Paul Liwanga describes his life in Maine, the story does not begin with soccer stadiums or internships. It begins with a twelve-year-old boy stepping off a plane from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and figuring out how to build a life in a place that would become home. Portland was changing when he… Read more »
Mitchell Institute announces Thomas College’s Debbie Cunningham as the 2025 Maine Higher Education Professional of the Year
The Mitchell Institute has named Debbie Cunningham, Senior Vice President for Student Success at Thomas College, as the 2025 Higher Education Professional of the Year, recognizing her exceptional impact on student access, persistence, and achievement. The honors were presented during a campus-wide community gathering that brought students, faculty, staff, and alumni together for a shared… Read more »