The Alicia Rae Bessey Memorial Scholarship Committee has selected three students to receive initial awards for the scholarship, according to a news release from the University of Maine at Augusta.

Riley Gray of Livermore Falls, a dental hygiene student, is among those students.

This scholarship fund honors the memory of Alicia Rae Bessey and her substantial contributions to the UMA-Bangor campus. While Bessey faced mental health struggles throughout her education, she persevered and took life one day at a time, acting as a resource and model for students struggling with similar challenges, the news release stated.

This scholarship honors her memory and the committee found these three students to be worthy recipients of these inaugural scholarships offered in her name.

Melissa Bickford of Bangor will receive a $1,000 scholarship. She is a returning student to UMA-Bangor.

Gray and Melissa Oakes of Carmel, a veterinary technology student, will each be awarded a $500 scholarship.

Gray is a part of the Food Security Coalition and the Dental Club on the UMA-Bangor campus with the goal of being a public health dental hygienist. She explained, “I would like to work with children who need dental care who do not have access to it. Dental care is one of the most important parts of a child’s health. Being able to provide these services to children is super important to me.”