Ellsworth American interviews nursing student about Bangor-based nonprofit

The Ellsworth American spoke with Lindsay Bland, a nursing student at the University of Maine, about Bridge Academy, a Bangor-based nonprofit that bridges the college gap and helps students find their way to high-paying jobs with little or no debt. The program began a decade ago as a pilot program at Hermon High School with 14 students, and now has 150 students in seven career and technical education schools around the state, according to the article. Students in the program spend their junior and senior years of high school earning up to 30 transferable college credits, usually on their high school campuses and with reduced tuition. “I’ve never had to take English, math or social studies” in college, said Bland, a Bridge Academy graduate who credits the program for preparing her well for nursing classes at UMaine. “Since I didn’t have to take any of those classes, that’s money I saved.” Bland said she has always wanted to be a nurse, and plans to stay in the state to work after finishing college.