One of Androscoggin County’s newly named Peace Scholars says he won on his second try for this prestigious award.

Thomas Merrill of Livermore, a sophomore majoring in computer science and geography at the University of Maine at Farmington, first applied for the scholarship last year.

But then as a freshman in college, he was scattered and without direction, he said.

After a summer working in a paper mill, a semester working at a Farmington restaurant and two more semesters of university life, he matured enough to take a second try at the award.

This time he won.

All four Maine college students who’ve just been named George Mitchell Peace Scholars for 2004 will be honored at a luncheon ceremony in Hallowell today.

The others are Sally Merritt of Auburn, Rebecca Libby of Skowhegan and Kent Corey of Washburn. Each will receive a $1,000 travel stipend and tuition, room and board to study in Ireland during the next school year.

“I think that this is just going to be a life-changing experience,” said Merritt via e-mail.

The scholarship was created in 1998 as a tribute to former Maine Sen. George Mitchell for his years of public service and for his work on an Ireland-Northern Ireland peace accord.

Winners are chosen based on their academic and leadership abilities and their commitment to community service. Two come from the university system, and two from the community college system. Peace Scholars attend the University College in Cork or the Cork Institute of Technology for a semester.

“I hope to use this experience as a way to broaden my perspective on the world,” Merrill said via e-mail, “and to realize that there are far more experiences beyond college, and beyond Ireland, that I will need to live through before I can truly comprehend the complexity of the world in which we all live, but we often fail to notice beyond our own two eyes.”

Merritt, a junior majoring in economics at the University of Southern Maine, said she also plans to use her time in Ireland to gain a different perspective on the world.

“As an economics major I think that it is really wonderful that I get to experience living in a country that is part of the European Union and see the differences and similarities between their economy and ours,” said Merrit.

Libby and Merritt will travel to Ireland this fall. Corey and Merrill will go abroad next spring.

[email protected]