Madison Gingras plans to study forensic science when she graduates from Telstar High in June of 2024. Rose Lincoln

BETHEL — Katy Gingras asks her daughter  to leave the room when she is watching a movie.

“My mom loves Hallmark movies. I absolutely hate them because I already know what’s going to happen in the first five minutes. I always tell her everything. She’ll say, ‘Madison leave,'” said Gingras, 18, of Bethel.

The Telstar senior, on track to be a forensic scientist, loves solving puzzles: jigsaws, backward tetras, sudokus, forensic file games – and Hallmark movie plots.

Two years ago she took a forensics’ class with Telstar science teacher, Kristi Hanscom.  After acing Hanscom’s class, she said, “I just knew that I had to change my route a little and go with forensics and not criminal justice.”

All along she thought she wanted to be an investigator, but realized she didn’t want to be a police officer. “Being able to be a forensic investigator and [still] be ‘on scene’ is the dream job,” she said.

Beginning freshman year, Gingras has taken 13 online classes that she easily ticks off.  She took nearly all of them on her own time, after work or dance class at night, and in the summer, too. She said she is usually the only high school student in classes of all college students. She has attended: York County Community College, University of Presque Isle, Husson University, University of Fort Kent, and Central Maine Community College.

Many of her classes have been related to her future forensics science college degree. Her favorite was, “Principals of an Investigation” through University of Fort Kent and taught by an investigator who each week gave them additional evidence from an actual crime he had investigated. “His lectures were always very informative because he used his cases. It was a lot of information, but all very helpful,” she said.

Gringas will likely enter college as a second year student because of the 46 credits she has accumulated. She is waiting to hear back from colleges. For now, Thomas College in Waterville has offered her a great deal where she would leave with her undergraduate and Master’s in Science degrees after just four years.

Gringas grew up in Errol, NH surrounded by family. Her grandparents own L.L. Cote’s Sporting Goods while across the street her parents sold Arctic Cats, Husqvarnas and Amish furniture at Bear Country Sports. She said she learned customer service, how to multi task, run a cash register, make change and operate computers while helping run the family businesses.

She remembers when she was about seven, her mom pulled her out of school to fix the computers in the office.

At her two-room K-8 school in Errol, she was one of only 12 students in the entire school.  All of her middle and high school options were an hour commute from Errol, so her parents sold the business and moved to Bethel. She said she misses her grandparents and aunt, but still goes to see them every few weeks.

In 2017, as a sixth grader, Gingras moved to Bethel. She said many of the Telstar teachers have greatly impacted her life.

“I went through a rough patch of anxiety and depression for two years … [Tera Ingraham] became my ‘in-school mom’ Even my mom would text her to tell her if I needed someone to talk to.” Ingraham teaches Art and Mindfulness and is the class advisor. “Learning to focus on the art and not what was going on in my brain really helped,” Gringas said.

Gingras counts Cruze Kimball, Gabby Groves, ’23, and Sarah Chase as her closest friends and says her high school advice to her 10-year-old sister is not to worry. By senior year, you will know who your lifelong friends are.

She and Groves were co-presidents of student council last year. Now she leads student council with junior, Emma Newell. Gingras is class secretary and a member of National Honor Society, too.

She has danced at Toe Tappin’ Jazz since she was two. She said will likely continue to dance in college because she said it is an emotional output for her.

Gingras said after college she plans to travel around Europe. “I don’t want to settle down and live somewhere until I have seen everything,” she said.

When she does settle down, probably in her late twenties, she would like to live in a rural place, “off the land,” owning Highland cows, on a farm in a moss-covered stone house, possibly in the Scottish Highlands.

In the meantime, after graduation she will travel to England to see Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium. She and her aunt, Kristina Cote, will travel by train to Scotland, too – perhaps solving the puzzle of where she will someday settle down.

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