The daughter of a fire chief and a Coast Guard veteran, Carolyn Potter quickly discovered she wanted to be a first responder when she grew up.

She’s well on her way.

Potter was the valedictorian of Wiscasset Middle High School’s senior class of 26 students, who celebrated their graduation Thursday, June 8, at the Wiscasset Speedway.

Potter, of Edgecomb, will attend Central Maine Community College in Auburn to pursue a criminal justice degree. She wants to be Maine game warden someday.

“I’ve grown up in a first-responder family,” said Potter, whose father, Roy, is the fire chief of the Edgecomb Fire Department, and whose mother, Karen, is a Coast Guard veteran. “I’ve known I’ve wanted to help my community from when I was a little girl. I saw what cops do and what game wardens do. I love nature, I love helping people and I love preserving wildlife.”

Potter, who serves as junior firefighter in Edgecomb, had a 4.0 grade point average. She was a National Honor Society member and participated in soccer, swimming and softball. She won her school’s Principal’s Award and was named a top scholar by the Mountain Valley Conference.

During her senior year, she would take classes in Wiscasset in the morning then drive to Bath Regional Career and Technical Center to take criminal justice courses in the afternoon. She credited teachers at both schools.

“They prepared me well for the real world,” she said. “A lot of the teachers I’ve had treat you like actual people. They hold you accountable for your work, but they’re also willing to help if you communicate with them. That’s preparing me for my life outside of school.”

Potter said she’s proud of her graduating class for overcoming challenges like the coronavirus pandemic.

“Everyone’s had their setbacks, myself included,” she said. “I know I struggled with mental health when we went into shutdown, because I didn’t have the outlet of sports. All of our high school years have been affected by COVID. The class of 2023 as a whole, not just in Wiscasset, is very resilient for making it through to this point with all the uncertainties in the world.”

Wiscasset Middle High School Principal Gina Stevens called Potter the “gem” of her class.

“Pleasant, polite, helpful, humble. You name it,” Stevens said. “She’s all those attributes you want in a student, just a magnificent young lady. She will be successful in whatever she wants to do.”

“I’m excited to get out there and explore,” Potter said.