Meet Jessie

This persona is a fictional profile of a UMaine student. It was created using data to reflect the challenges, successes, and overall experiences of some of our students.

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Headshot of a young white individual with short blond hair, brow eyebrows and stubble, looking down and smiling

Age: 18 years old

Work: Student Food Service Worker at York Dining

Major: Undecided first-year

Family: Single, oldest of three siblings

Challenge: Emerging anxiety, first-generation, rural student

Language(s) spoken: American English

Location: Old Town, ME

Home is: Aroostook county

Pronouns: They/them

Assistive Technology: None

Jessie was born and raised in Aroostook county, in township T16 R6 WELS. They went to a small rural school with 10 people in their middle school class, and they knew everyone. They are the first of their family to go to college and their family is extremely proud of them paving the way for their siblings.

“My classes are really big and it’s a bit overwhelming to be honest.”

“Everything here is so different, it’s as if I am in a different culture entirely and I don’t speak the language.”

“I don’t understand how to navigate the university system, and I don’t know what I need to succeed. I feel lost.”

“I spend every night studying and reviewing my work but nothing sticks and I am so tired. I feel dumb. How do other people do it? I end up being tired at my jobs and I can’t focus in class. My schedule is a mess. How do I know what to do and when to do it?”

“I could work on the farm and earn a living, but instead I am spending a lot of money on this degree”

  1. Add a “how to succeed in this course” section in your course, introduce it at the beginning of the semester, and refer students back to it regularly, as needed
  2. Use checklists in your course to help students stay on track
  3. Make sure students know that their instructor understands the complexity of their lives
  4. Making reviews happen in class time
  5. Connect the course to life skills and give possible career paths

Many more students can benefit from these teaching strategies. Learn more about who benefits from these strategies.

“I joined a student club and some of the students who are in it are also the first of their family to be in college. We can relate. It’s nice.”

“At the beginning of the semester, one of my professors had us fill out an anonymous survey about our needs and expectations about the class, and they are sharing resources with us based on our answers. It is very helpful.”

“The RAs in my dorm are trying to create opportunities for people to meet and they tell us about things happening on campus. It helps me meet people.”

Meet Your Students
Next Data-Driven Student Persona