LEWISTON – Rainbow Federal Credit Union introduced the four scholarship recipients at the 48th annual meeting on March 7. Each received a check for $500.

The criteria for awarding the scholarships is that the applicants must be a member of Rainbow FCU, students in good standing and have completed at least one semester (15 credit hours) at a two- or four-year college, university or technical college.

Jessica Bouthot loves children and dreams of being a kindergarten teacher. While in high school she worked at McDonald’s, volunteered at a nursing home and the Festival de Joie, participated in her church’s Catholic Youth Ministry, her high school color guard and was its captain during her senior year. She earned grades that made her eligible for the National Honor Society.

A second-semester freshman at the University of Maine at Machias, Bouthot is working at the school’s cafeteria and library and earning good grades.

Kelly Marshall is in the process of completing a 12-credit internship at Central Maine Community College in order to graduate in May with an associate degree in applied science while also carrying a full load at the University of Maine at Farmington, where she is pursuing a degree that will qualify her to be a teacher of young children with disabilities.

She is a member of the Student Senate at Central Maine Community College, a big sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oxford County and the Governor’s Mentor of the Year.

Seth Goodwin is a junior at the University of Maine in Orono where he is a secondary education major with a concentration in French. He loves the Franco-American history of the Lewiston/Auburn community and hopes to teach French in one of the area’s high schools.

He enjoys carpentry, working with his grandfather and helping the elderly people who live in his neighborhood. He volunteers at his church and is a member of the Knights of Columbus. An entrepreneur, he started is own yard care/landscaping business when he was about 11. Today, serving an expanded customer base, Goodwin operates Seth’s Four Season Yard Care on weekends and vacations.

Michael Gagne graduated from high school in 1977 and will graduate from college in December 2006. He is a husband and the father of two children, ages 10 and 13.

After spending 20 years in sales and missing time with his family, Gagne decided to become certified to teach elementary school. He is a member of the CLASS program at the University of Southern Maine and has been attending classes year round since 2001 while working at various part-time jobs and volunteering.

Gagne is president of the South Lewiston Little League and is active with the Farewell PTA. The owner of Amphibian Entertainment Co., Gagne, who has been known to work as a stand-up comic and DJ, often provides free DJ services at school functions.

For the last seven years, he has served as director of the Mike Bordick Golf Classic, which has raised more than $125,000 to benefit the Maine Children’s Cancer Program.

Rainbow Federal Credit Union has presented 13 scholarships since 2001. Applications will be available in October at the five offices and branches in Lewiston, Auburn, Mechanic Falls and South Paris.