Connor Smart: UMaine salutatorian and top student in Maine Business School

Connor Smart of Lincoln, Maine has been named the 2016 University of Maine salutatorian and the Outstanding Graduating Student in the Maine Business School.

The honors student double majored in accounting and finance, and received academic achievement awards in business and accounting. Smart was the 2012 valedictorian of Mattanawcook Academy.

In the spring 2015 semester, Smart interned with the certified public accountants firm of Edwards, Faust & Smith in Bangor, Maine. On campus, he was a peer tutor in accounting and student ambassador in the Maine Business School, and worked in summer 2014 in UMaine’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.

The title of his honors thesis is “A Conceptual Value Function to Explain the Benefits Derived from Users of Free-to-Play Video Games.”

Smart won the 2016 Rezendes Ethics Essay Competition with the paper, “Using Utilitarian Theory to Improve Our Food Systems, Our Planet and Ourselves.”

Smart served as president of the UMaine chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants, and was a member of UMaine’s Black Bear Men’s Chorus.

After graduation, he plans to pursue a career as a certified public accountant in Maine, and be actively involved in nonprofit and social service organizations.

More about Smart’s UMaine student experience follows in a Q&A:

What difference has UMaine made in your life and in helping you reach your goals?
I honestly believe that I am leaving the University of Maine with a thorough and well-rounded education. Whatever goal or dream I might have had, I know that the University of Maine supplied some way for me to achieve it. For example, I wanted to go to college to become prepared to enter a profession that would be challenging, rewarding and provide a comfortable life. However, I also wanted to stay in touch with my cultural and artistic interests. UMaine has allowed me to achieve both of these goals, and I feel that I am leaving this university with a better sense of who I am as an individual, and with a much stronger feeling of personal confidence. Through the University of Maine, and specifically the Maine Business School, I was able to find a discipline that I felt passionate about and that I could excel in. The satisfaction that this has given me is immeasurable.

Have you had an experience at UMaine that has changed or shaped the way you see the world?
I feel like the University of Maine has left me better prepared to view both myself and the world around me more objectively. Because of my education, I feel much more capable of taking a critical look at myself and my environment, and finding ways to make improvements. Specifically, I would say that my experience through the Honors College opened my eyes to a lot of issues and worldviews that I would not considered previously. Prior to coming to the university, I did not have very definitive opinions on issues of religion, health and diet choices, politics, etc. The time that I have spent at the university has given me the insight to reach my own conclusions on these issues. To me, this is very important, because it is these views that have come to define how I see myself as an individual and what kind of person I want to be.

Why UMaine?
The University of Maine ended up being the perfect choice for me. It was close enough to home that I could stay in touch with family, but it was enough of a new and challenging experience that I never felt bored, nor did things ever feel too familiar. This university has allowed me to make the best friends of my life, whom I love dearly. I’ve been able to experience more art and culture at this school than I could have every hoped for, and I’m leaving with a degree in a field that I find thoroughly fascinating and rewarding. Attending UMaine was an incredibly positive experience for me, and I’ve had a great time and a lot of fun. But I think the biggest testament to this school is how I’m leaving it feeling prepared and excited for the future, when I can actually put this excellent education to real and tangible use.

How would you define the opportunities for student success at UMaine?
Personally, the biggest resource that helped me succeed was the faculty. Whether they were educators with the Maine Business School or the Honors College, I found every faculty member I ever interacted with to be incredibly insightful, kind and nurturing. I could always count on my professors and advisers to offer their advice. I’ve always felt that they really care about me as a person — and my success. I cannot adequately describe how comforting this has been for me. I truly feel that the University of Maine provides students with ample opportunities to succeed; there are so many options and things to do here that if a student has a dream, there will probably be a way to achieve it.

Have you worked closely with a professor or mentor?
This question is really hard for me, because there are simply too many specific people who are worthy of recognition to name them all. However, I will briefly try to name a few of the people who have helped to make my experience at UMaine wonderful. Stephanie Welcomer was one of the first people I met from the Business School, and her guidance and support have left a lasting impression on me. I feel that I honestly owe a lot of my success to her encouragement and the opportunities she opened for me. Matthew Skaves, my honors thesis adviser and one of my finance professors, has been more kind and helpful to me than I ever could have asked for, and I cannot fully describe how much I appreciate what he’s done for me. Dave Barrett was my first introduction to accounting, and he helped influence my decision to pursue this field. I have always been grateful for his humor and honesty. Wendy Coons was equally important to my decision to pursue accounting. She helped me see how the profession has opportunities for both creativity and ethical judgments. She also has always shown me an immense amount of kindness, and she’s gone out of her way to help me on many occasions. Susan Myrden has been very helpful while on my Honors Committee, and she’s always been supportive and attentive, for which I am very grateful. I would like to mention two professors from the Honors College — David Gross and Jordan LaBouff. Both of these men helped instill in me an appreciation of culture and the humanities, and it was the time that I spent in their classes that truly made the Honors College so special. Lastly, I would like to thank Daniel Williams. Rehearsals for the Black Bear Men’s Chorus quickly became one of my weekly highlights, and I am ever going to be thankful for his good humor and warmth, and the joy he provided.

What advice do you have for incoming students?
Get involved as early as you can. It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do with the rest of your life. I’m not entirely sure I’ve even figured that out yet. But what isn’t okay is to let college go by without getting involved and meeting some people who could become very special to you. Take the time to learn a new skill or join a club. Some of my favorite memories come from spending time with the friends I’ve made at the university. Likewise, don’t forget about your classes. Talk to your teachers, go to study sessions and actually put the time into studying. Don’t waste time trying to cram for exams the night before. Put in a little bit of work every day. You’ll be surprised by how well you remember the material and how much your skills will improve.