Abigail Bennett

Hometown: Oxford, ME

M.S., Ecology & Environmental Science

Advisor: Adam Daigneault

Began Conservation Science NRT Program Fall 2021

 

I fell in love with UMaine during my undergraduate time here. I knew I wanted to come back, especially knowing that I want to work in Maine after graduation and that the University works with organizations in the state. I was drawn to the NRT program because I was an economics major in undergrad and am transitioning to conservation. I hope to combine my experience in finance and economics with my passion for conservation.

 

I grew up in and have lived most of my life in the Oxford Hills region of Maine. I graduated from UMaine in 2018 with a degree in financial economics. In the three years that followed, I worked at an investment consulting firm in Boston as a fund manager research analyst and then at a local bank in Portland as a credit analyst. During this time, I volunteered at a local land trust, Western Foothills Land Trust, identifying and successfully applying for a grant that helped the land trust develop a “farm to town” trail to connect Norway’s main street directly to recreational trails. This work inspired me to return to graduate school to pursue a master’s degree in ecology so that I can pivot my career into the conservation space. I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in ecology and environmental science and working with Dr. Adam Daigneault on the Municipal Budgets and Conservation research project, funded by the NRT program.

I grew up canoeing, Nordic skiing, and hiking in the Maine woods and waters, with regular trips to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. This love for the outdoors never left me, and in my free time I can be found trail running in the White Mountains or skiing at Roberts Farm in Norway.