Tammy Giles

I am beyond excited to have found the dream job I never knew I wanted! I spent over 20 years
working as an educator. Some of my past roles include Museum Educator, Middle-school
Science Teacher, High School Life Science and Art Teacher, and After School Program
Coordinator. Little did I know that my ideal job was percolating at Upward Bound, coming to
fruition during the summer of 2025 when I found myself back with the program as a temporary
summer employee. When a full-time staff position opened, I jumped on it, and the rest is history.

My first experience with UB at the University of Maine was the summer of 2017 when I took a
job teaching science for the program. I had never experienced an educational opportunity that
served youth in the way that Upward Bound does! I taught Marine Biology and
Anatomy/Physiology that summer, but the most impactful part of the experience was all of the
exciting things that I observed in my students; they thrived with the opportunity to have a
meaningful simulation of the college experience, and an environment that welcomes
individuality and inclusion. It was clear that some of the young people felt safe being their “true”
selves in a way that they had not experienced prior. It continues to be my favorite part of the UB
experience.

The University of Maine has been a “home away from home” for me throughout the course of
my education. I graduated in 2004 with a B.S. in Ecology and Environmental Science with
minors in Secondary Science Education and Zoology. Over the next 20 years I pieced together
various graduate courses to achieve my M.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies in May of 2025. These
experiences enable me to help my students navigate the college-bound process in a way that
will (hopefully) be more efficient than my tenacious but rather long pathway!

I spend most of my free time as an artist/illustrator and enjoying the Maine outdoors (despite
being combustible in sunlight and allergic to almost everything). I am also dedicated to servitude
to my furry canine companions at home; Fen the tyrannical Boston Terrier, and Fred the big,
goofy but lovable Pitbull/Shepherd.