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Andrii Obertas: Hello, my name is Andrii Obertas. I am from Ukraine. I double major in mathematics and physics and I am a 2026 UMaine Co-Salutatorian.
I chose UMaine because, frankly speaking, it was the only choice I really had. In 2022, I was stuck in the middle of Ukrainian war with not many positive things to look in the future. And when the acceptance letter from Ukraine arrived, it was perhaps the most positive thing I have had in many years. So obviously I came here because UMaine offered me a possibility to have a future.
If someone would ask me why I decided to do mathematics, I would sincerely would not have an answer for that because it feels like I’ve been doing it since I was born. I feel like there is no more profound way of using math than by applying it to physics and trying to find the answers to the most fundamental questions in the universe.
The thing that surprised me the most about the people of Maine, in a good way, is that how charitable and supportive of the local community everybody is. People here genuinely do care about little guy. I’ve been around many places in the world including my own home country of Ukraine and this level of charity and like, goodness of heart, is truly unique.
The things that I will miss the most once I graduate from UMaine is the simplicity of student life, the wonderful community that exists here. All the clubs, all of the events, the hockey games, the wonderful time that I have with my friends and even strangers at times.
I am most grateful for my experience at UMaine for all the opportunities that I could have experienced here that would have not been possible if I were staying back home, and I will remember this for years fondly for the rest of my life.
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