Houlton Higher Education Center bestows diplomas during graduation cermony

On May 19, students from Carleton Project, Houlton and Hodgdon Adult Education, University of Maine at Augusta and Presque Isle, University of Maine Orono and Northern Maine Community College were recognized in a combined ceremony at the Houlton Higher Education Center.
Carol Westerdahl, social worker with the Carleton Project, was the guest speaker. She said to each student that this was a “hard won victory” for each and every one of the students and their families.
    Westerdahl grew up in Littleton and her parents’ expectation was for their children to go to college, be married and leave the state. But, Westerdahl fell in love with a County boy and as she said, “He was determined to stay put.”
So, being OK with that, Westerdahl’s journey began.
“Every single one of us, are on a personal journey, aren’t we?,” she asked the audience. “We began at birth and we continue on throughout our lives looking for where we fit in and what we will do to bring meaning to our lives.”
Westerdahl believes everything that has come before each of us has made us who we are – “we are a sum total of the experiences we’ve had,” she said.
“As you sit here today, I’d like to ask you to take a moment to look back at what brought you to this moment – what fell into place easily and what did you have to fight to overcome – who will you be tomorrow because of what you accomplished today?,” she asked.
“I want you to always remember the work and the determination that it took for you to accomplish what you have accomplished,” she added. “And always take the pride of that accomplishment forward with you. If you can do this, you can do anything.”
Westerdahl commended each student on taking the first step toward creating the life that he/she wanted and the life that was deserved.
Marrying her husband and graduating in the same year, though exciting, Westerdahl remembered her parents’ disappointment that she chose not to go on to college.
“But, I was right where I wanted to be,” she said.
The Westerdahls had two sons, Jayson and Joshua. Westerdahl volunteered in the community and helped her husband in the family business.
“I had a good life,” she said. “But, as in the journey things often happen to throw us off course don’t’ they? We owned trucks and a garage. We had a profitable deal with a broker in Littleton and we shipped potatoes to a processing plant in Delaware. All was going well, until, ah yes, life comes in. The processing plant went broke and there we were.”
Thinking of how to help in the situation, Westerdahl admitted having her own “light-bulb moment.” College came to her mind.
“But, I was 47 years old,” she said. “I was too old to go back to school. But, you never know until you try.”
Westerdahl then encouraged each graduate to view circumstances in their lives, difficult or easy, as opportunities.
“We find there is always a valuable lesson to be learned,” Westerdahl noted. “The way you view your life, your perception of your life, is what creates your life. What has this particular experience given you? What have you had the opportunity to learn? Will you choose to see this experience as valuable instead of concentrating possibly on the negatives that threaten to overwhelm you – although I might not have recognized it at the time I chose to find a positive in a negative situation.”
Westerdahl entered college as a freshman and graduated as salutatorian from the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 2004 with a degree in psychosocial rehabilitation. After graduation, she went to work with Allies, a mental health agency, as a case manager.
“I began a new chapter. One that was to change the course of my life,” Westerdahl recounted. “Everything seemed perfect. I had accomplished exactly what I had set out to do and I was working toward building a solid future. But our journey always has surprises in store for us, doesn’t it? In June 2006, my 52-year-old husband at the garage that we owned suffered severe chest pain, collapsed with both of my sons  at his side and died before the ambulance could get there.”
Westerdahl said, “Let me tell you, that felt like a mountain too big to climb. It was much bigger than just a little bump in the road. But as the old saying goes, ‘Into every life a little rain must fall.’ So, I ask you, what showers have you experienced in your life? What has seemed like a mountain too big to climb for you? Maybe you haven’t had a big issue, maybe it has just been a lot of little small issues that have built and built. I again encourage you to view your life journey as an opportunity to learn. Learn through experiences and go on to become a more valuable person. Education is never a waste. It will only enrich your life.”
While Westerdahl rebuilt her life, she considered who she was, more importantly, who she wanted to be. She began researching graduate programs and decided on the social work graduate program at the University of New England. During her graduate work, she tested and was certified as a licensed substance abuse counselor. For the past three years, Westerdahl has taken classes and worked at Life By Designs doing counseling.
On May 21, Westerdahl received her master’s degree for mental healthy therapy as a licensed clinical social worker. She completed her social work internship working with Carleton Project at the Houlton Higher Education Center. She will return to her position with Carleton Project as a social worker.
“I want to leave you with a challenge,” she told the students. “I challenge you to examine your heart and recognize what this achievement means for you now and in the future. I challenge you to see the events that occur on your journey as opportunities for growth and fulfillment and most importantly, an opportunity to enrich not  only your life,  the lives of your family, but the lives of your community and your world.”
Recipients of diplomas from Carleton Project were: Alicia Giggey and Alexia Cholewa of Presque Isle; Clarence Keaton III, Amesley Connors, Janel St. Peter, Sarah Fredericks, Renee Bickford, Autumn Beaulieu, Charity Axe, Cody Scott, Oakley Langley and Jasmine Donovan.
Degrees presented through the Houlton/Hodgdon Adult Education went to: Ashley Belyea, Ezra Brady, Sierra Brewer, Taylor Bulley, Geraldine Burpee, Debra Crawford, Sierra Grendell, Summer Turner, Jacob Blanchette, Chelsea Green, James Grant, Justin Jacobs, McKenzie McGuire, Kaleb Muir, Brandon Murray, Andrew Nickerson, Keran Valji, Alexander Salb, Kody Tuttle and Michelle Green.
The University of Maine at Augusta graduates were: Theresa Long, Alyssa Tidd, Kristie Taylor, Jessica Bouley, Ebony Parker, Cody Browne, Malesa Zaneldin and Stacy Ramsey, A.S.
University of Maine at Presque Isle graduates: Lacey O’Donnell, Jacqueline White, Becky Gilman, Kimberly Sheaves, Scott Perrin, Renee Devoe, Jessica Swimm, Kaylea Collier, Kimberly Pratt, Tracy Wallace and Carissa Miller.
Evan Boutilier was a University of Maine Orono graduate.
Northern Maine Community College graduates includev: Cara Albright, Christine Ramos, Krystal Estabrook, David Hutchinson, Teresa LaReaux, Leisha Murray, Jodi Tash, Tammy Tompkins, Kenton Warman, Kimberly Boulier, Timothy Doughty, Charlotte Grass, Andrew Leighton, Benjamin Marley, Avery O’Donnell, Harley Thompkins, William Tompkins and Clayton Willigar, Jr.