RUMFORD – Rep. Matthew J. Peterson (D-District 92) addressed the class of 2012 during a recent seminar. He began by tracing the history of his family in the Rumford area.

“Our town was laid out so people could walk to the mill and the downtown area. It created a close-knit community,” he said. Peterson said that when his father and grandfather graduated, it was expected that they would go to work in the mill. “That is no longer true for my generation or for you.”

“The economy has changed so the middle class is at risk,” Peterson said. Then he urged students to google Don Peck and middle class.

Peterson quoted Peck’s article in the Atlantic at length, “In March, the national unemployment rate was 12 percent for people with only a high-school diploma, 4.5 percent for college grads and two percent for those with a professional degree.” When he stated the unemployment rates for people with a high-school diploma, there was a noticeable hush.

Peterson outlined four keys to success in the new economy. “First use the resources around you such as your teachers, guidance counselors and Mr. Gilbert [MVHS principal]. The Androscoggin Valley has an abundance of resources and networking with people from different jobs and backgrounds is an important life skill.

“Second, play to your strength. Focus on what you do best and become better at it,” Peterson said. “Third, take chances and embrace change. You have to go out on a limb to find the best fruit.”

Finally, there is no substitute for hard work. Peterson quoted many philosophers by telling students to that “success is the sum of small things done day after day. The river cuts rock not by power but by persistence. If we rest, we rust.”

To conclude the presentation, Peterson, who was a member of the MVHS class of 1996, invited the students to join him for a day in Augusta during the legislative session. 

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