Lessons along the way

A year ago, we combed the state to find four high school seniors with different dreams and goals, and set out to follow them past graduation on their journey into adulthood. Today marks the end of our series, “Life After High School.”

When we began, Courtney London couldn’t wait to leave Houlton behind. She was headed to college in Portland, and didn’t plan on looking back. Today she’s back in Houlton, wiser and less critical of her hometown.

Brandi Cossar was pregnant when she graduated from Nokomis High School, and her boyfriend had moved in with her family in Corinna. She hoped to start college, even though the baby was due in September. Her son, Colby, is 9 months old now, the stable center of a life that is still uncertain.

Patrick Kelley had set his course at graduation: The Jonesport 18-year-old would follow his father into fishing. When his friends went off to school, he stayed home to live by the tides and winds, to be part of a long, harsh coastal tradition. He doesn’t regret the decision.

Machias Memorial High School valedictorian Shirley Moe was preparing to brave a new world at her first-choice college, Bates. She would find out if she had the study skills for college exams and the strength to loosen ties to her parents. Along the way, she has learned some things they don’t teach in classrooms.

These young adults graciously granted our reporters, Alicia Anstead, Mary Ann Clancy, Jenna Russell and Catherine Heins, and our photographer, Susan Latham, access to their lives. They enlightened and surprised us, shared their fears and triumphs, and reminded us how hard it is to begin a life.