Boothbay Region High School Class of 2026’s salutatorian, Eleanor Marshall, is fascinated by people: their similarities, their differences, and how those things can affect their place in society.  

Part of this interest was spurred by her mother, Jenny Bennet, whose British nationality offered Marshall a different cultural perspective while growing up. Before enrolling in Southport Central School in the sixth grade, Marshall attended a Montessori school full of multicultural exchange. She had a teacher who was Mexican, a friend whose mother was a refugee from Ukraine, and another whose Indian grandmother made them tikka masala every weekend.  

During this time, the 2016 election of Donald Trump occurred, exposing Marshall to national conversations about immigration for the first time; she became confused about what that meant for her teachers and classmates.  

“I’ve always been super interested in the fact that justice means different things to different people depending on where you are, how you grew up (and) politics affect people in different ways depending on their situation, who they are and where they come from,” explained Marshall. Her passion also lies in taking these factors into account to make sure everyone is treated equally, even if that's hard.

Conversations about civics, rhetoric and current events made Mark Gorey’s AP Language class one of Marshall’s favorites. “Mr. Gorey has a very special place in my heart ... his classes are really good at preparing you if you want to go on to secondary education ... if you are willing to put in the work, it can really set you up for success.”

Marshall plans to have a concentration in civics as part of her international affairs major at Boston College, where she is starting this fall. Marshall toyed with other majors but felt international studies opened the most doors, giving her expertise she could apply across disciplines and allow her to easily shift jobs in the future. As the major has significant language requirements, Marshall hopes to pick up a minor in French or Italian, and another in journalism.  

Aside from her studies, just attending Boston College has been a dream for Marshall since sophomore year. The academics and the social scene were factors in her decision, but the college’s over 15,000 student population sold it. 

“My nonnegotiable was that I had to go to a place where there's a possibility of making it to my senior year and seeing someone that I had no idea who they were.”  

However, Marshall, as someone from a non-religious background, was apprehensive about going to a Catholic Jesuit school with theocratic class requirements. But she was pleasantly surprised that the school prioritized less spirituality and more Jesuit values in terms of education. “It's all about community service, giving back and being the best person you can be for the world ... I just really aligned with that.”  

The proof of that can be found in the quantity of Marshall’s extracurricular activities. She is a member of the National Honor Society, president of the Interact club and Student Health Advisory Board (SHAB), has been on Student Council in a variety of positions since freshman year, and was part of the BRHS Drama team that won second place in the state competition last year. Her time in SHAB feels particularly significant to Marshall due to her own health struggles.

During her sophomore year, Marshall went from having perfect attendance to missing half of school due to a chronic illness that affected her energy levels. Marshall entered junior year, a notoriously hard time abound with standardized testing and college applications, having to learn how to be a self-advocate and get the accommodations she needed as safety nets. School administration was supportive, but that didn’t mean the road to salutatorian was always easy.

“I had to work really, really hard to even maintain anything, and I'm just really proud of myself ... I didn't lose myself as an academic and as a person. I was able to keep doing what I love to do and keep showing up for myself.”