Caitlin Jones, of South Portland and a sophomore at Southern Maine Community College, has received a $1,000 scholarship from the Maine Real Estate & Development Association.

She is one of seven Maine community college students to receive this new scholarship. To qualify for the scholarship offered by the real estate association, students must be a Maine resident, have financial need and be enrolled as a second-year student in the building trades, architecture, construction, engineering or business programs at a Maine community college.

Jones is enrolled in the Architectural & Engineering Design program at Southern Maine Community College and plans to work for an architectural firm after graduation.

The scholarship funds were raised through the real estate association’s annual Strikes for Scholars bowl-a-thon held last May. The association’s goal is to raise enough each year to fund at least one scholarship at each of Maine’s community colleges and support Maine students as they prepare for careers in areas of study that promote the group’s mission of responsible development and ownership of real estate.

“(The Maine Real Estate & Development Association) is pleased to be helping to meet the financial needs of students at the seven campuses of the Maine Community College System,” said Mike O’Reilly president of the association. “Providing scholarships to students who hope to get into real estate-related fields contributes to (our) mission, which is supporting responsible real estate development.”

Caitlin Jones, center, a student at Southern Maine Community College, receives a scholarship check from Shelly Clark, left, of the Maine Real Estate & Development Association and Mike O’Reilly, right, president of the association. Courtesy photo