Meet the 2024 Outstanding Graduating Students
Twelve undergraduates have been named 2024 Outstanding Graduating Students at the University of Maine. Read their short biographies:
Tobey Crawford Connor
Tobey Crawford Connor of Sullivan, Maine, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the Division of Lifelong Learning. She is a university studies major in the Maine studies track. Connor completed an internship in 2022 with the Sullivan-Sorrento Historical Society, which led to her part-time job as communications coordinator for the organization. Her academic research focuses on Downeast Acadia prior to New England settlement in 1760, including facets of Passamaquoddy life and culture through both occupations. She is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Sigma Lambda honor societies. Connor plans to continue her UMaine education as a graduate student in the history department. She will continue her research on Downeast Maine and the Borderlands, which will complement her work at the historical society and within her community.
A full Q&A with Connor is online.
Devin Frazer
Devin Frazer of Danbury, New Hampshire, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the Maine College of Engineering and Computing. He is a mechanical engineering technology major with a minor in naval science. He was awarded the Navy ROTC 4-year National Scholarship and has received the Navy ROTC Academic Excellence Award. Most recently, he received the Marine Corps Association’s Honor Graduate award and the Military Officers Association of America ROTC award. During his time at the University of Maine, he designed, conducted and analyzed remotely conducted experiments for the Penobscot Narrows Bridge. He has held the positions of platoon sergeant, assistant operations officer, platoon commander and battalion commanding officer in the ROTC. Upon graduation, he will be commissioned into the United States Navy as a submarine officer.
A full Q&A with Frazer is available online.
Chappy Hall
Chappy Hall of Brunswick, Maine, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the Honors College. Hall is a history major who pursued his passion for music by playing the trombone in several campus musical groups. In addition to participating in the UMaine Jazz Ensemble, Symphonic Band and Concert Band, he joined several campus clubs, was inducted into three honors societies and presented at academic conferences on topics including Protestant Christianity’s role in Afro-British advancement. His research and studies while a student expanded his perspective and understanding of social issues, unconscious biases and the importance of diversity. In fall 2023, Hall was named one of four McGillicuddy Humanities Center undergraduate research fellows and completed a project for his honors thesis titled “Playing History: How Video Games Can Change The Way We Understand the Past.” Hall plans to pursue a graduate degree in French or European history after spending time working and making music.
A full Q&A with Hall is available online.
Morgan Inman
Morgan Inman of Wales, Maine, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Education and Human Development. She is an elementary education major with a concentration in mathematics and a minor in business administration, she is also a member of the Honors College. During her time at UMaine, she produced a thesis for the Honors College titled “Sexuality Education In Central Maine High Schools: What’s Happening Now and What’s Changed In Two Decades.” The qualitative study examined sex education in central Maine high schools by interviewing teachers in those schools. Inman has also been involved with a local after-school and summer camp program for three years, acting as an assistant director for the program for the last two years. She is a Maine Top Scholar and recipient of the Galen Cole Family Foundation Teaching Scholarship. After graduating, Inman plans to enter the education field as a classroom teacher and pursue a master’s degree.
A full Q&A with Inman is available online.
Ida Kuoppala
Ida Kuoppala of Pedersöre, Finland 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 teaching and coaching, and a member of the Women’s Ice Hockey team. A standout forward, Kuoppala was named to the All-USCHO Rookie Team her first year at UMaine in the 2019-2020 season. In her fifth and final season, she served as the assistant team captain and was named first team all-star and scoring champion. Pushed by her coaches to succeed as a hockey player and academic, Kuoppala researched how the amount of physical activity impacts academic performance in a comparison between the American and Finnish school systems. She plans to play hockey professionally in the U.S. or Europe.
A full Q&A with Kuoppala is available online.
Paige McHatten
Paige McHatten of Mapleton, Maine, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is an English and journalism double major with a minor in media studies and a concentration in creative writing. While at UMaine, she was a McGillicuddy Humanities Center Undergraduate Fellow, completing a collection of poetry titled “GOODNESS,” which revolves around relationships between women. She has also served as a tutor in the Writing Center; a journalism intern for UMaine’s radio station, WMEB 91.9 FM; and as editor of the university’s undergraduate literary magazine, The Open Field. After graduating, she will pursue a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. She hopes to publish a full-length collection of fiction and poetry while continuing to develop her skills as a writer, teacher and learner.
A full Q&A with McHatten is available online.
Elise Morphy
Elise Morphy of Regina, Saskatchewan, is the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences. She is majoring in biology, with a concentration in pre-medical studies and a minor in chemistry. Morphy has played for the Women’s Ice Hockey team since she was a first-year student in 2020 and served as captain during the 2023–24 season. An enthusiastic student-athlete, she has volunteered with the team’s skill development program for young, local female hockey players. Her other activities on and off campus included tutoring student-athletes through UMaine Academic Support Services, volunteering with Dirigo Pines and working for the UMaine BARD Institute as a research assistant. After graduation, Morphy plans to continue learning at UMaine through a graduate study program and playing for the Women’s Ice Hockey team for a fifth and final year. She is a three-time recipient of the Highest GPA Award from the School of Biology and Ecology.
A full Q&A with Morphy is available online.
Kian Murray
Kian Murray of Brunswick, Maine is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the Maine Business School. Murray is triple-majoring in business administration in marketing, finance and sport management; and has a dual degree in psychology with an abnormal/social concentration. Creating positive memories at UMaine by striving to find the fun moments in and out of the classroom has been at the forefront of his experience. For three years, Murray worked for UMaine Athletics in various roles, including as a sports marketing assistant, sports marketing administrative aid and student ticketing supervisor. There, he discovered his love for the sports community and desire to work directly with people. The social, volunteer and fundraising chair for Club Soccer and a two-time champion in intramural soccer, Murray was introduced to opportunities with UMaine Athletics after he participated in a home football game contest and successfully kicked three field goals. He plans to move to Boston with several other Black Bear graduates to start a career in sports or finance.
A full Q&A with Murray is available online.
Victor Ostman
Victor Ostman of Danderyd, Sweden is the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the Maine Business School. He is double-majoring in business administration in finance and in sport management, and is a member of the Men’s Ice Hockey team. Before joining UMaine in 2020, Ostman played in the U.S. Hockey League for the Chicago Steel. As a student, he has welcomed the opportunity to gain an education while devoting his time to UMaine’s top-competing DI team. Ostman has received several weekly and monthly honorable mentions as a goaltender, as well as having been named a finalist for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the nation’s top goaltender. In his third season with the team, he was also named the Hockey East Second Team All-Star. Ostman plans to play ice hockey professionally for as long as he is able, then work in sports or finance.
A full Q&A with Ostman is available online.
Jiyeon Park
Jiyeon Park of Incheon, South Korea, is the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the Maine College of Engineering and Computing. Park, who is majoring in electrical engineering technology, enrolled at UMaine in fall 2022 after graduating from Eastern Maine Community College. During her senior year, she helped upgrade the paper-making equipment at UMaine’s Process Development Center. She also served as a teaching assistant in spring 2023 and has volunteered at various events during her college career, including engineering career fairs and an engineering expo. In the summer 2023, she interned with RLC Engineering and plans to continue working for the company alongside pursuit of a graduate degree at UMaine. During her time at UMaine, she received the International Presidential Scholarship and an electrical engineering scholarship.
A full Q&A with Park is available online.
Zoe Pavlik
Zoe Pavlik of Durham, New Hampshire, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences. She is a double major in ecology and environmental science and wildlife ecology and is also a member of the Honors College. During her time at the University of Maine, she completed an honors thesis titled “Does urbanization surrounding stopping sites affect migratory behavior in American Woodcock (Scolopax minor)?” Pavlik has also been involved with research involving rockweed food webs and insect biomechanics. She is a New England Outdoor Writers Association scholarship recipient and received the Ashman/Demeritt scholarship. After graduating, Pavlik plans to explore employment as a field tech and gain additional research experience.
A full Q&A with Pavlik is available online.
Ece Yeldan
Ece Yeldan of Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey is the Outstanding Graduating International Student in the Honors College. She is majoring in wildlife ecology and minoring in renewable energy, economics and policy. Through her studies, Yeldan aimed to broaden her cultural perspective on conservation and exposure to different environments, which was enriched by her study abroad program in Tanzania, where she learned about conservation of large African carnivores. Her honors thesis, titled “Understanding the Connection Between Water, Fish and PFAS Concentration: Implications of Fish Diet and Species Specific Variability,” prepared and encouraged Yeldan to continue wildlife conservation research. During her time at UMaine, she served as president of the International Student Association, helping organize events for international students and participating in the International Dance Festival, Culturefest and International SpringFest. She plans to continue her education at the University of Glasgow in a Master of Science program in conservation management of African ecosystems and hopes to later transition into African carnivore conservation.
A full Q&A with Yeldan is available online.
Contact: Shelby Hartin, shelby.hartin@maine.edu