PORTLAND, ME – The MEMIC Group has awarded a total of $20,000 in scholarships to three children of workers who suffered serious workplace injuries. Derek Collin and Kyle Collin of Trenton, Maine and Andrew Wuerthner of Wells, Maine are this year’s MEMIC Harvey Picker Horizon Scholarship recipients. With the 2020 awards, workers’ compensation specialist MEMIC has granted scholarships totaling $210,000 to 39 young scholars.

As specialists in workers’ compensation, MEMIC recognizes that although workers’ comp insurance covers medical treatment and replaces a large percentage of lost wages, it cannot eliminate entirely the stress and strain that an injury can cause a family.

Andrew Wuerthner will be attending College of the Holy Cross as a first-year student with a major in Liberal Arts and minor in Biology. Wuerthner is a graduate of Wells High Schools where he was an active participant in soccer, track, National Honor Society, Interact and student council. He also has been involved with charities such as Special Olympics, Preble Street, Ronald McDonald House, and takes on volunteer jobs within his community.

Wuerthner’s AP and CP Biology teacher spoke of him as “an inquisitive, kind, and empathetic person with great academic promise.” He goes on to commend Wuerthner on his resiliency. “Andrew's family is very supportive, but he has had to deal with many family-related issues that most high school students don't experience. Through it all, Andrew has maintained his focus, academic standards, and a witty sense of humor.”

Derek Collin is studying Accounting as a second-year student at Husson University. He hopes to go on to attain his MBA in Accounting, attributing his aspirations to continue his college education to seeing his father’s career options limited after his injury by not having a college degree. “My father not going to college, and looking at his current state, has made me think hard about my future,” he says. “Looking at everything he's had to endure, I've made it a goal of mine to pursue an MBA.”

Collin is a Varsity basketball player at Husson and his coach, Warren Caruso, who has known Collin for 7 years, speaks highly of his character. “Derek is hard working and very diligent in his tasks. His work ethic is second to none and is present in all aspects of his life. He has a grit to him, always striving to better himself.”

Kyle Collin is a first-year student at Wheaton College studying Neuroscience. At Mount Desert Island High School, Collin was a well-rounded student that participated in a variety of activities from robotics, to tennis, to Math Team, and National Honor Society. Outside of school, he was active with the SPCA and Alström Syndrome International Conferences. Following the completion of his undergraduate degree, Collin hopes to attend medical school to pursue his doctorate degree.

“Working in the medical field has always been my goal since I was a volunteer to assist children with Alström syndrome,” he says. “I was able to help these kids and see the positive effects of my work. Since then, I have been driven towards a career in helping people.”

Collin’s ambitions seem a natural fit given his AP Biology teacher, Jennifer Murphy’s, testimony: “Kyle has consistently demonstrated a strong drive, an innate ability with all things math, a passion for science, great maturity, and a kind nature.”

The MEMIC Harvey Picker Horizon Scholarship has been awarded annually since 2001 to the spouse or child of a worker who has suffered a serious injury or death at work.

The scholarship is named after former Camden, Maine resident Harvey Picker, a renowned physicist, educator, philanthropist, and advocate for education. In 1992, Picker was appointed by then Governor John R. McKernan as a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Workers’ Compensation, which led to the formation of MEMIC 27 years ago. Picker also served as a member of the Board of Directors at MEMIC.

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About MEMIC 
The MEMIC Group includes MEMIC Indemnity Company, MEMIC Casualty Company, and parent company Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company; all rated “A” (Excellent) by A.M. Best. As a super-regional workers’ compensation specialty insurer, The MEMIC Group holds licenses to write workers’ compensation across the country. The group insures more than 20,000 employers and their estimated 300,000 employees. In addition to its headquarters in Portland, Maine, the group maintains offices in New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida. FMI: www.memic.com