Meet the 2021 Outstanding Graduating Students
Thirteen undergraduates have been named 2021 Outstanding Graduating Students at the University of Maine.
Among them is Bailey West, the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture, and in the Honors College, and the 2021 valedictorian. Her profile story is online. Short biographies of the other UMaine Outstanding Graduating Students follow:
Melanie Berry
Melanie Berry of Morrill, Maine is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the University of Maine Division of Lifelong Learning. The Dexter native will receive a Bachelor of University Studies with a minor in psychology. Her numerous awards during her UMaine years include the Nontraditional Student Scholarship, the Alpha One Powering Education Scholarship and the Adult Degree Scholarship. Berry is a human resources associate with athenahealth in Belfast, where she has worked full time since 2009. She started taking classes in 1994–95 at Wilmington College and at UMaine in 2005–06 before returning to complete her degree in 2018.
A full Q&A with Berry is online.
Hana Davis
Hana Davis of Tsawwassen, British Columbia is the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, She will receive a bachelor’s degree in communication with a double major in marketing. The scholar-athlete is captain of the field hockey team and a four-time NFHCA National Academic Squad honoree. Davis served as Spread Respect chair on the UMaine Student Athlete Advisory Committee and represented the university on the America East Conference Student-Athlete of Color Leadership Group. She also is a Mind Spa volunteer. Davis plans to pursue an MBA at UMaine while playing her last year of eligibility.
A full Q&A with Davis is online.
Iaryna Iasenytska
Iaryna Iasenytska of Kyiv, Ukraine is the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the Honors College. She is an international affairs major with a concentration in international security, with minors in Spanish and in legal studies. Her honors thesis is “One-Eyed Man and the Wicked Boar.” Last year, Iasenytska was a research assistant with the Marine Fisheries Partnership and is an assistant in the Office of International Programs. She has had internships in Kyiv with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Relocation VIP Servis. Iasenytska has held leadership positions in the International Student Association. She plans to pursue a career in international politics.
A full Q&A with Iasenytska is online.
Khoa Kieu
Khoa Kieu of Da Nang City, Vietnam is an Outstanding Graduating International Student in the College of Engineering. The chemical engineering major received multiple scholarships during his years at UMaine, including the Roger B. Hill Engineering Scholarship. He participated in a chemical engineering co-op at Verso Paper in Jay in 2019. On campus, he has worked in Dining Services, and as a teaching assistant and peer tutor. He plans to pursue a career in chemical engineering as a process or production engineer.
A full Q&A with Kieu is online.
Vilgot Larsson
Vilgot Larsson of Stockholm, Sweden is the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the College of Engineering. The civil engineering major has a concentration in environmental engineering. The scholar-athlete is a member of the men’s basketball team. He was a member of the Swedish National Team in the summers through 2019 and at UMaine was involved in community volunteering initiatives. Larsson plans to pursue a career in environmental engineering.
A full Q&A with Larsson is online.
Blanca Millan-Modia
Blanca Millan-Modia of Santiago de Compostela, Spain is the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the College of Education and Human Development. She is a kinesiology and physical education major with a concentration in exercise science, and minors in child development and family relations, and in human nutrition. The scholar-athlete and member of the women’s basketball team is a two-time America East Player of the Year and America East Defensive Player of the Year — the only woman in America East history to win both honors twice. Millan-Modia did her kinesiology internship in Latti Fitness Center — UMaine’s strength and conditioning facility, where she worked with other student-athletes on other UMaine teams. She has entered the 2021 WNBA draft and also plans to play in Europe. Following her professional basketball career, Millan-Modia plans to use her academic training to assist athletes and teams perform at the highest level.
A full Q&A with Millan-Modia is online.
Jordan Miner
Jordan Miner of East Baldwin, Maine is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Engineering. She is a biomedical engineering major with minors in electrical engineering and bioinstrumentation. Miner is a Maine Top Scholar who received two fellowships from the Center for Undergraduate Research to study Duchenne muscular dystrophy. She has been a student researcher collaborating in the laboratories of professors Karissa Tilbury and Clarissa Henry. Miner has presented and published her research findings, and received best poster honors at the 2019 Northeast Symposium on Biomedical Optics. She also has participated in three internships at IDEXX Laboratories and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. On campus, Miner has been a peer tutor and a leader in the Biomedical Engineering Club. She is captain of the Fastpitch Club that won the 2019–20 New England East conference championship. Miner will pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at UMaine, focused on cancer research.
A full Q&A with Miner is online.
Anna Schumann
Anna Schumann of Moers, Germany is the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture. Schumann will receive a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology, with a double major in biochemistry and a minor in microbiology. The Presidential Scholar is captain of UMaine’s track and field team, competing in the long jump and triple jump, and was named to the 2020 All-America East Track & Field Academic Team Indoor & Outdoor. She also received the 2021 M Club Dean Smith award. Schumann has been a research assistant in professor Sally Molloy’s lab, investigating how prophage (viruses that infect bacteria) contribute to the fitness of their bacterial hosts and contribute to antibiotic resistance. For her work, Schumann received a Center of Undergraduate Research Fellowship and a UMaine Institute of Medicine Fellowship. Schumann is a peer tutor on campus and mentors youth in track and field in the community, She plans to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical and biological sciences at Cornell University.
A full Q&A with Schumann is online.
Miranda Snyder
Miranda Snyder of Brimfield, Massachusetts is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Education and Human Development. The secondary education major with a concentration in English received highest honors for her thesis completed in December, “How Alumnae of a Middle and High School Feminist Organization Perceive Their Involvement Related to Their Academic Self-Concept.” Snyder was awarded a Center for Undergraduate Research Summer Fellowship and received the Thomas E. Lynch Honors Thesis Scholarship. Last year, she also collaborated with professor Rebecca Buchanan on multicultural teacher education programs. Snyder is president of All Maine Women,co-chair of Feminist Collective, a Fogler Library student ambassador, and a member of Hip Hop Club, Black Bear Menors and Eating Disorder/Body Positivity/Body Liberation Advocacy/Activism. She did her student teaching at Herman and Bangor high schools. Snyder plans to be a high school English language arts teacher.
A full Q&A with Snyder is online.
Cameron Spicer
Cameron Spicer of Erie, Colorado is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the Maine Business School. He will receive two bachelor’s degrees in financial economics and in business administration in finance. Spicer is a defenseman on the men’s ice hockey team. The Eagle Scout and Presidential Scholar received a Lavery Scholarship and Dale Lick Academic Achievement awards. His honors thesis is “The Role of the IEX in a Fragmented Market System.” As a student researcher, Spicer has collaborated with professors Tim Waring and Sharon Klein to conduct analysis of greenwashing and community solar projects in the United States, respectively. He is a member of the Student Athlete and Honors Student advisory committees, has participated in the Student Portfolio Investment Fund (SPIFFY) and is a leader in the American Sign Language Club. Spicer has started graduate work in the 4+1 program and will complete a master’s degree in information systems while competing in his final year of eligibility.
A full Q&A with Spicer is online.
Caroline Strolic
Caroline Strolic of Phoenix, Arizona is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is an honors student majoring in art history with a minor in history. A member of the women’s swimming and diving team, Strolic has been team captain for the past two years, and a member of the 2020 America East All-Academic Team. She holds records in the 200 and 400 medley relays. Her honors also include the Robert Thomson Memorial Thesis Fellowship and Zillman Art Museum-University of Maine Curatorial Internship. Her honors thesis is, “Benjamin West and His Studio: The Making of an Anglo-American Identity.” Strolic has interned at the Hudson Museum on campus and at the American Independence Museum in Exeter, New Hampshire. She also has been a student mentor, lifeguard and swim instructor. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in art history and museum studies.
A full Q&A with Strolic is online.
Fanny Wadling
Fanny Wadling of Nacka, Sweden is the Outstanding Graduating International Student for the second consecutive year — last year in the College of Education and Human Development; this year in the Maine Business School. In 2020, she received a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and physical education, with a minor in business administration, and a concentration in exercise science. This year, she will receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration in management. Wadling is a co-captain of the women’s basketball team and was named three times to the America East All-Academic Team. She stayed a fifth year at UMaine to earn a second degree and to play her final year of eligibility. Wadling plans to play basketball professionally in Europe, followed by a career in business.
A full Q&A with Wadling is online.
Contact: Margaret Nagle, nagle@maine.edu