ORONO – The top two students in the University of Maine Class of 2006 will be recognized for their outstanding academic achievement at Saturday’s commencement activities.

Susan Nelligan Scott, a Holden native who now lives in Ellsworth, is the class valedictorian. The salutatorian is Alison Pease of Saco.

Scott, who will receive a bachelor’s degree in psychology, has been accepted into a UMaine graduate program in counselor education. She aspires to eventually earn a doctorate. She joined the UMaine staff as an administrative assistant in 1998 and began taking classes shortly thereafter. She has worked on the staff at UMaine’s Center for Community Inclusion and its Office of Equal Opportunity. Scott worked full time through the course of her undergraduate program, taking some courses online or in the evening. She is in several honor societies, including Phi Kappa Phi.

“In gaining an education, I have also come to understand how much more there is out there to learn, and I am excited about continuing my education,” said Scott.

Scott and her husband, Ron Scott, have been married for 29 years. They have a son, a daughter-in-law and a granddaughter.

An aspiring small-animal veterinarian, Pease is headed to the University of Minnesota and a doctor of veterinary medicine program. She has wanted to be a veterinarian since fourth grade, when she became inspired by reading James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great and Small.”

Pease is a member of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honor society, along with the National Society for Collegiate Scholars and other student honor organizations. She also has enjoyed participation in coed and women’s intramural soccer.

“My time at UMaine has been amazing,” said Pease. “I’ve met some great people and had some fantastic experiences. My time here has been everything I could have hoped for and more.”

Pease’s bachelor’s degree is in animal and veterinary sciences.

Scott and Pease will receive the designation summa cum laude with their degrees, and they will sit on the stage to be recognized during graduation by UM President Robert Kennedy.