BANGOR – From 1999 to 2004, more than 1,500 workers in the Bangor area lost their jobs. Many of these folks are attending, or have attended, classes at the University College of Bangor.

Juanita Prescott, 46, worked at Saucony Shoe for 24 years. When the plant closed she didn’t know what she would do. A worker at the Department of Human Services suggested she attend UCB, telling her it was a school where she could get “a good education, have great professors, and get help if she needed it.”

Prescott did not let 26 years out of school deter her. She obtained an associate degree in mental health and human services in May and landed her a part-time job working with autistic children. She will receive a bachelor’s degree in May 2007 and plans to be a social worker. Her time at UCB has been invaluable to her personally as well as academically. she said. Working in the student government office and serving as a senator have enabled her to be more outspoken.

“I have more confidence in myself. I am not scared to take on a challenge,” Prescott said. One fellow senator described her as “the unofficial office manager.” As is the case with many others before her, college has changed Prescott’s life.

“UCB has made me a better person. I like the new me,” she said.

Carl Briggs is the single father of two children, ages 5 and 7. He lost his job at Dexter Shoe and returned to school after 12 years in the work force. Briggs is a leader on campus, having served as student government activities director and senator. His passion for helping others shines through his work as a Cornerstone mentor. He thrives on mentoring other students and supporting them in their studies. As a mentor, he initiated the Walk for Health Program at UCB.

Briggs joined organizations in order to “learn how groups work and to gain skills that I can use in the future,” he said. He will receive a bachelor’s degree in mental health and human services this month, and plans to study for a master’s degree at the University of Maine.

UCB has “made me see that I have skills and knowledge that others never saw before,” he said.

Scott Reglin of Dixmont was laid off from Eastern Fine Paper in Brewer. A Career Center adviser recommended that he take classes at UCB. He does not work while taking classes because of a chronic back problem, but he does not let daily pain interfere with his goal of graduating in 2006 with a degree in computer information systems. He also cares for his wife, Linda, who has severe arthritis. Reglin serves the community as a member of P.A.C.E. 403 and by organizing food banks in the Brewer area.

Attending UCB has “improved the quality of my life by improving my education,” Reglin said.

Reglin, Prescott, and Briggs are the first of their families to receive college degrees.

To learn more about UCB, call 262-7800, stop at the admissions office, Bangor Hall, 216 Texas Ave., or visit www.uma.edu/bangor/.