Julia Gagnon Impresses With Aretha Franklin Cover

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American Idol saved one of the best for last — Julia Gagnon.

Raised in Cumberland, Maine, the 21-year-old college student has spent time in the school of hard knocks.

Gagnon was born in Guatemala, and put up for adoption as a baby. Childhood in the U.S. was mostly a blast, surrounded by a loving family. But she experienced bullying in school.

“In Maine, not a lot of people look like me. And it was really hard to deal with,” she explained in the pre-recorded spot. It still touches a raw nerve.

Gagnon was always curious about her birth family, and in her late teens embarked on a journey to find…