Scholars Speak: A Podcast of the Mitchell Institute

Mitchell Institute

The Mitchell Institute awards a $10,000 Mitchell Scholarship to a graduate from each Maine high school each year. As Maine’s premier scholarship organization, we work to increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue, and achieve a college education.

  1. 04/23/2025

    Scholars Speak Podcast with Mitchell Scholar Adriana Ortiz-Burnham

    In the latest episode of Scholars Speak, we’re joined by Adriana Ortiz-Burnham, the 2013 Mitchell Scholar from Monmouth Academy, a Sociology graduate of Middlebury College, and, now, the Development Lead and Governance Specialist for the nonprofit organization Presente! Maine. Listen up as Ortiz-Burnham talks about how the organization supports Afro/Indigenous-Latinx people in Maine, what drew her to work with this community, advice she has for Mitchell Scholars and Alumni interested in movement work, and how the Mitchell Institute supported her during and beyond college.

    18 min

  2. 03/05/2025

    Scholars Speak Podcast with Mitchell Scholar Courtney Jurson

    In the latest episode of Scholars Speak, we’re joined by Courtney Jurson, the 2014 Mitchell Scholar from Hodgdon Middle/High School, a Kinesiology graduate of the University of Maine, and, now, a full-time firefighter and paramedic with the Bangor Fire Department. Listen up as Jurson talks about how she came to a career in the fire service and EMS, some aspects of life as a firefighter and in the EMS that might surprise you, and how her engagement with the Mitchell Institute and its programs over the years has resulted in receiving so much more than a scholarship.

    14 min

  3. 01/14/2025

    Scholars Speak Podcast with Mitchell Scholars Nancy Billings, Caleb Cullen, Andy Estrada, and Adam Fortier-Brown

    In the first Scholars Speak episode of 2025, we’re joined by an all-star lineup of Mitchell Scholars: Nancy Billings ’15, Caleb Cullen ’15, Andy Estrada ’08, and Adam Fortier-Brown ’15. Listen up as these members of the Mitchell Institute Alumni Council’s Alumni Engagement Committee take questions about the increased number of events they are organizing this year, how the events are intended to benefit Mitchell Scholar alumni, and why they feel it’s important for Mitchell Scholar alumni of all ages to stay connected with each other and the Mitchell Institute! If you have ideas for events that the MIAC Alumni Engagement Committee should consider, email them at miac.membership@gmail.com.

    33 min

  4. 12/11/2024

    Scholars Speak Podcast with Mitchell Scholar Kayla Girardin

    With the 2025 edition of MILE II coming up on Saturday, March 1, at Unum, we catch up with Kayla Girardin, the 2013 Mitchell Scholar from Presque Isle High School and chair of the Mitchell Institute Alumni Council’s MILE II Planning Committee. Listen up as Girardin talks about why attending MILE II can help fast-track career and internship opportunities for Mitchell Scholars and Alumni, how the event can help Scholars get ready for life beyond college and help Alumni navigate early career transitions, and how Alumni can be involved with the day-long career and professional-development program. Learn more about what MILE II is like: https://mitchellinstitute.exposure.co/going-out-of-bounds-to-explore-new-career-paths

    27 min

  5. 10/16/2024

    Scholars Speak Podcast with Mitchell Scholars Lauren Turcotte Seavey, Mariah Kimball, and Sarah McKeown

    In the latest episode of Scholars Speak, we catch up with three Mitchell Scholars — Lauren Turcotte Seavey ’19, Mariah Kimball ’10, and Sarah McKeown ’08 — who have something in common: They all took advantage of an exclusive tuition discount available to Mitchell Scholars pursuing graduate degrees and certificates at The Roux Institute at Northeastern University. (ICYMI, all Mitchell Scholars are eligible for a 20% tuition discount toward master’s and certificate programs at the Roux Institute, in addition to scholarships through the Alfond Scholars Initiative. Be sure to notify your Roux Institute Enrollment Counselor of your status as a Mitchell Scholar if you apply for any of the Roux programs!) Listen up as this trio talks about what motivated them to pursue graduate degrees at The Roux Institute, their experience with the admission process, and how they are advancing their career plans through their graduate studies.

    18 min

  6. 08/27/2024

    Scholars Speak Podcast with Mitchell Scholar C.J. Moody

    In the latest episode of Scholars Speak, we catch up with C.J. Moody, the 2015 Mitchell Scholar from Old Town High School, a graduate of the University of Southern Maine School of Nursing, a co-owner of Black Bear Cinemas in Orono, and a staff nurse at Palomar Medical Center in California. Listen up as Moody tells us about co-owning and operating a seven-screen independent movie theater, what led him to become a travel nurse, and how the Mitchell Institute provided him with so much more than a scholarship.

    15 min

  7. 06/28/2024

    Scholars Speak Podcast with Mitchell Scholar Dr. Sarae Sager

    In the latest episode of Scholars Speak, we catch up with Dr. Sarae Sager, the 2012 Mitchell Scholar from Caribou High School and a graduate of the University of New England School of Medicine. Listen up as Dr. Sager tells us about her third year of residency at one of the nation’s leading rehabilitation research hospitals—the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago—as well as her interest in transitioning to practice lifestyle medicine, how she coped with the rigors of medical school, the advice she has for Mitchell Scholars interested in pursuing careers in healthcare, and how the Mitchell Institute provided her with so much more than a scholarship.

    24 min

  8. 04/05/2024

    Scholars Speak Podcast with Mitchell Scholar Ethan Pierce

    In the latest episode of Scholars Speak, we catch up with Ethan Pierce, the 2009 Mitchell Scholar from Gardiner Area High School, Harvard University graduate, and Cambridge, Mass.-based artificial-intelligence entrepreneur. Listen up as Pierce tells us about why he launched Adaptive Reader, an AI-assisted platform that reinterprets literary classics into more accessible versions for educators and students. So far, 14 public domain books are available through Adaptive Reader, including “Beowulf” and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and “Macbeth.” Learn more about how Pierce is helping to bring the classics to a broader audience—even those who read at a sixth-grade level—as well as his advice for Scholars interested in breaking into the field of AI. (00:00) Mitchell Scholar Ethan Pierce explains what Adaptive Reader is and how it works (04:22) What motivated you to develop Adaptive Reader? (06:55) How did you make the leap from being a humanities major to an innovator and startup leader in the field of Artificial Intelligence?  (08:14) What advice might you have for people who have an interest in working in AI or would like to explore AI as a possible career field? (11:37) What trends in AI development most excite you? (16:00) What did you learn from your other startup ventures about taking risks and being innovative? (19:11) What do you look for in job applicants? What skills and habits of mind do you find are important for career success — in AI or in general? (20:44) How has being a Mitchell Scholar helped you at Harvard and beyond? (23:09) Have there been any surprises in your life about being a Mitchell Scholar?

    25 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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About

The Mitchell Institute awards a $10,000 Mitchell Scholarship to a graduate from each Maine high school each year. As Maine’s premier scholarship organization, we work to increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue, and achieve a college education.

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