Kat Ragot, 42, of Cutler accrued staggering – and lingering – debt before she dropped out of Carnegie Mellon University a quarter-century ago. Today, she’s back on track and poised to earn her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine at Machias on Saturday.
Laura Applin, 24, who works as waitress at Becky’s Diner in Portland, says leaving college made sense because she couldn’t justify paying tuition when she lacked direction. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” she said. Her college loan debt, originally $26,000, is down to $17,000.
University of Maine at Machias student Kat Ragot rehearses for a show, which includes some of her own artwork. Though “there are so many barriers” for older students, Ragot, a single mom from Cutler, will be earning her bachelor’s degree at Saturday’s commencement.
At Southern Maine Community College, Ryan Donkin of Naples greets his success coach, Kristi Kaeppel, before a pickup basketball game on the South Portland campus.
News 
