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JMG Featured Alumnus:
Wayne Morey
1997 JMG Graduate
Machias Memorial High School
“Just like every other teen, I thought I knew everything,” says Wayne Morey, a 1997 graduate of Machias Memorial High School. That was, of course, until he joined Mr. Chick’s JMG class his sophomore year.
Morey says he “was a shy person” in high school. But then “Mr. Chick made me talk in front of people and made me get out of my comfort zone. That was not a bad thing now that I look back on it,” he says. “It goes back to that old saying ‘what does not kill you only makes you stronger.’”
Morey says that his years in the JMG classroom gave him confidence, enough so that he successfully ran for Vice President of his Career Association his senior year. He enjoyed the JMG activities and events, including Field Day, which was his favorite. Of his JMG Specialist, Jeff Chick, Morey says, “He was a motivator, a psychologist, and a mentor all rolled into one.”
After graduation, Morey joined the Army and became a military police officer. “I do not regret my decision at all,” he says. “I have a great job that I have held for 12 years. The Army has sent me to numerous police-related trainings like K9 handler, Protective Services, and a few evasive driving schools. The Army has also paid for my college, and I am currently three classes away from a bachelor’s degree [in criminal justice]. The only thing that I had to pay for was a few books.”
Morey is currently a Staff Sergeant stationed at Chievres Garrison in Belgium with his wife of nearly 13 years, Chasity. “Here in Belgium,” he says, “I am a desk sergeant, which would be the equivalent of a dispatcher and a patrol supervisor rolled into one. I have been a K9 handler and part of a protective team.”
This is Morey’s second stint at Chievres. He has also been stationed in Giessen, Germany, and Fort Drum, NY. “My family and I just like [Chievres and Ft. Drum] so we keep going back and forth,” he says. “The Army does have a lot of standards, but when it comes to requesting a duty station, they like to work with the soldier and the family.”
“It is a great experience living overseas,” he continues. “This is actually my second tour over here. I have been able to see battlefields like Normandy Beach, Point Du Hoc, and in and around Bastogne. There is a lot of history over here, and my wife, who is a history buff, loves to visit all the places. I have actually been able to sit in the bunkers that Easy Company from the Band of Brothers made in the town of Foy, Belgium.”
Morey said he is thankful for the chance to share his success story with current students. He says he wants to reach out to students “who are sitting in the back row of the class, or those who are debating on taking the class and think that JMG is just a filler class,” because JMG was worthwhile for him and so might be the same for others.
“Looking back at what I have learned about myself and what I am capable of doing now because of JMG,” he says, “I believe in this program and I am sure there is more out there. What I am going to say about JMG and school is: you get out what you put into it.”
Morey put in the effort, and what he got out of JMG was a rewarding career, the opportunity to experience the world, and the chance to succeed in life. He hopes to someday return to Maine, and says he would like to volunteer for JMG. “I loved the years I spent in Mr. Chick’s JMG class,” he says, “and I would like to be part of its continued success.”JMG Featured Alumnus:
Eleanor Dominguez
1998-1999 Project Reach Student
Lyman Moore Middle School
Eleanor Dominguez got a lot out of JMG’s Project Reach program in a short time. As an eighth grader at Lyman Moore Middle School in Portland, she was in Melissa Connors’ Project Reach class during the 1998-1999 school year.
“I remember that we would try and talk about general life skills and we would have guest speakers,” Eleanor says. “I remember most vividly when Ms. Connors invited the Rusted Roots to the class to talk about their success…I found the guest speakers to be incredibly helpful to really demonstrate how some disadvantaged teens can grow to be successful and learn from their mistakes.”
Eleanor credits the student-centered focus of the JMG program with helping her transition successfully from 8th grade to high school. “I learned that my attitude needed adjustment,” she says, “which it certainly did before entering high school. I learned that there are more things out there than just what middle school portrayed. I also got more attention while in JMG classes than in others so I always felt a little more confident to ask questions. The biggest part of my JMG experience was learning to respect all others. I was very disrespectful and had a less than favorable attitude while in middle school, but I was transformed before going to Portland High School. I spent two years there and two years at North Yarmouth Academy, where I graduated in 2002.”
With her positive attitude and increased self-confidence, Eleanor was able to successfully navigate high school and was accepted at Connecticut College, where she double majored in Psychology and Government and received several awards for her volunteer service. After college, Eleanor attended the University of Maine School of Law in Portland and earned her J.D. in May 2009.
Eleanor says her desire to pursue a career in law “has motivated me through life. My ambition in my 5th grade yearbook was to be a lawyer!” she confesses. “I have viewed law school as a reward for my continued perseverance in high school and undergraduate college. Nothing so allures and stimulates me as the idea of being a lawyer in order to provide the justice that I have been waiting to offer.”
When asked what kind of a lawyer she’d like to be, Eleanor answers, “I want to pursue a career in international or domestic environmental law and focus on policy formation, implementation, and regulation. In order to instill change in the world and lessen the negative human impact on the environment, it is crucial to work with the policies, procedures, and treaties that provide the framework for international environmental institutions. One of my interests is the effect of trans-boundary water pollution on international cooperation between countries that share borders. I also have a passion to work for legal service providers for lower income clients, and to work in the non-profit sector, where I can wake up every day and be truly happy about the work that I do and have worked so hard for.”
Currently, Eleanor is a sales associate at J.L. Coombs in Portland. She has also held positions as a private investigator’s assistant, a waitress, a legal assistant, and a law clerk. Eleanor recently took the bar exam and will find out if she passed in late April or early May.
We wish her good luck and continued success!