Oh, the places you'll go!
“...You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.”
— An excerpt from Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (1990)

Spring 2002


Mardya meets Katie Couric in NYC.


Mardya plays anchor for ABC News.

In the last issue (see below), we shared a story about Little Sister, Mardya and her Big Sister, Gabrielle Wellman’s adventures in Washington DC. Mardya’s interest in politics made the trip especially exciting. Mardya visited Congress and met personally with Olympia Snow and Susan Collins. The Washington trip was her dream come true. Perhaps, that is, until recently...

Earlier this spring, Mardya and Gabrielle were on the road again — this time to New York City. And it seems that Mardya is a virtual magnet for celebrity!

The two rose early one morning to catch the Today Show filming at NBC studios in Manhattan. While Gabrielle grabbed a coffee, Mardya grabbed the attention of Katie Couric, co-host of the show, and briefly filled television screens across the nation. Later she was treated to a tour of ABC News Studios.

Following her meetings with Snow and Collins last year, Mardya said, “I always dreamed of meeting a famous person.” Goes to show that dreams can come true a second time!

The pair were matched 3 1/2 years ago in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Mardya is now 15 years old. She is one of nine children in her family.

Washington Trip Is Dream Come True for Little Sister


Mardya and her Big Sister, Gabrielle Wellman, show off the autograph Mardya got from Senator Susan Collins during a trip the two took to Washington, D.C., earlier this year. Mardya and Gabrielle have been matched just over three years. Congratulations!!

Mardya doesn't have a little black book. She has a blue plastic box. In it, the 14-year-old Surry girl keeps important things.

Last spring, she added several new "important things" that she'll keep for life - autographs from the state's two Republican U.S. senators, Olympia Snow and Susan Collins, and photos of her and Big Sister, Gabrielle Wellman, walking through Washington, D.C. earlier this spring.

The two were one of the first matches made by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hancock County, meeting about three years ago. They were a hit despite their divergent interests.

"I wanted to do all this stuff outdoors. Mardya wanted to talk together or work on the computer," Wellman laughed. Wellman, who lives in East Blue Hill, is a neuromuscular re-educator and Shiatsu massage therapist.

Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children with mentors who volunteer their time to help keep young people on track; offer moral support and friendship. Mardya is one of nine children in her family.

The Washington trip was her dream come true. Before the trip, she went to the Ellsworth Public Library and researched all the buildings and people. And she saved up. "I baby-sat a lot," she said. "My mom kept the money in her account and kept track of it."

She and Wellman traveled for two days on a bus each way. During three days on the town, they toured the White House and the Capitol. Mardya met Snowe and Collins, and she saw the presidential limo and helicopter. She also met with congressional staffers.

"I always dreamed of meeting a famous person," she said, her eyes lighting up. "I always dreamed it would be Hillary Clinton. I never dreamed it would be a Maine Senator."

She also got to hang out with her Big Sister. "She's funny and fun," Mardya said. And a motivator. Wellman made Mardya practice math during their trip by counting money. The skill might come in handy for the artistic Mardya, who makes thrilling graphic designs but also dreams of going into politics.

She already has the endorsement of a U.S. senator. "Follow your dreams!" Collins wrote on the slip of paper now stored in that blue plastic box. "Good luck!"
         

more news.......

Article by Carrie Ciciotte, April 19, 2001.
Reprinted with permission from The Ellsworth American.