LEE – With hard work and determination, even girls who grow up in rural areas of Maine can pursue any career they want, according to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

Collins and several other prominent Maine women gathered at Lee Academy on Friday along with 150 girls in grades six through 12 as part of a special program to celebrate Maine Women’s History Month. The purpose of the special program was to show students that if “they can dream it, they can be it,” said Roberta Doughty, organizer of the program and SAD 30’s guidance director.

“I am here as an example of what one woman who grew up in a small, rural, northern Maine community can do if she works hard and stands tall for her beliefs,” said Collins.

Collins told the junior high and high school girls that they would make many exciting decisions in the days and years ahead that would determine not only their personal futures, but also the impact they would have on their communities, the state and the country. Her advice in making those decisions was to work hard, stand up for your beliefs, never be afraid to take risks, and if you don’t succeed, try again.

“If I can go from the halls of Caribou High School to the chambers of the Untied States Senate, anything is possible if you set your sights high, work hard and persevere even in the face of a setback or defeat,” said Collins.

She told the young audience that she won an eight-way Republican primary election to become the first woman ever nominated by a major party for the office of Maine governor, but ended up losing the race. She said the experience taught her much. “It also reinforced a powerful lesson: the biggest regrets in life occur not when one tries and fails, but when one fails to try,” she said.

Collins not only shared some valuable life lessons with students, but also told them that many women had made countless contributions throughout the nation’s history. She cited the efforts of women such as Harriet Tubman, who was born into slavery and fought to free her people through the underground railroad, and Susan B. Anthony, who opened the door to government for women by crusading for their equal rights including the right to vote.

Collins also told the girls about the many Maine women who had made a difference in the history of the state, especially the late Sen. Margaret Chase Smith. “She was a terrific role model for me, [Sen.] Olympia Snowe and other Maine girls and women,” she said. Collins said she is proud and honored to be holding her seat in the Senate.

The 150 girls also participated in a panel discussion with Gail Sockabasin, director of the Wabanaki Center at the University of Maine in Orono, Patricia S. Locke, a Lincoln lawyer, Kathy McAvoy, principal at Mount Jefferson Junior High School in Lee, and the Rev. Priscilla Schumm, pastor of the Springfield Congregational Church.

The special program, which was a joint effort between SAD 30, Lee Academy and Penobscot Valley Hospital in Lincoln, didn’t end with girls.

About 50 boys in grades seven and eight learned about career opportunities for them from professionals of Penobscot Valley Hospital.

“There are some fundamental assumptions kids still make and we want to challenge them,” said David Woodbury, PVH’s director of human resources.

One of the messages hospital officials gave to the boys was that there are lots of career opportunities in the medical field including lab and radiology work and managers, nurses and nursing managers, physician assistants, administration, maintenance, food services, medical records and the list goes on.

Doughty said she believes students were inspired by the messages brought by the guests. “I believe that average kids can do way above average things, if they set their minds to it,” she said.