Welcome to the fourth season of “The USM Update,” as we kick off the 2019-2020 academic year. On this episode, we welcome Daniel Barton, coordinator of The Promise Scholarship, which helps helps disadvantaged youth who attend college, and two incoming Promise Scholars, Mowlid Abdi and Gigi Beninati, to talk about the scholarship and their college goals. Next, we feature three guests who are part of a relatively new program, Gateway to Opportunity, housed in the Cutler Institute at USM and how it helps local youth gain 21st Century skills while working with USM students. Lastly, we bring in two students who completed summer internships through their Food Studies minors, working to better understand and shape Maine’s local food system.