For much of her life, Dori Leadbetter didn’t think of herself as “college material.” She dropped out of high school, had two kids by age 20 and earned her GED during her second pregnancy. By age 39, as a recent divorcee with three children, Leadbetter discovered the Maine Educational Opportunity Center (MEOC), a federally funded […]
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Between high school and his graduation from the University of Maine in May, Dustin Hill has changed directions a few times — and led a few different lives by some measures. He has two degrees, two children, a wife and veteran status. “If you could go back and talk to 16/17 year old Dustin, you […]
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In the early 1990s as a student at Belfast Area High School, Rusty Brown (’98, ’01G) admits that he was “floundering” somewhat on his educational journey. At a particularly low moment, coming off a three day out-of-school suspension, a guidance counselor suggested that he might be a good candidate for Upward Bound (UB). Established by […]
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Samantha Poll grew up in Winterport, the same tight-knit, central Maine town where she’s now a teacher. “I know the families, and I know how it feels to be sitting at one of those desks,” said Poll, an eighth grade science teacher at Samuel L. Wagner Middle School. “It’s very important to me to show […]
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As a lifelong baseball fan, Delaney Colson landed her dream internship at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York last summer after earning her undergraduate degree in history and secondary education from the University of Maine. “It was really the perfect intersection between both of my majors, combining teaching and education with […]
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University of Maine alumni Taylor Britt and Sarah Zachariason were selected for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, a prestigious teaching exchange program managed by the government of Japan. Since 1987, JET has welcomed to Japan more than 35,000 Americans and more than 70,000 participants from around the world. JET participants sign a one-year […]
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Sabrina Murray is used to getting questions about her race and adoption. Murray, who is Chinese, was adopted by white parents, making her a transracial adoptee (TRA). “Strangers will often ask me questions about my birth family and why I was adopted,” she says. “Because I am a Chinese adoptee, I also get questions about […]
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Things have come full circle for Heather Anderson. In the 8th grade, she decided she wanted to become a teacher. Now, almost 30 years later, she’s in her second full year as an 8th grade English language arts and social studies teacher at Caribou Community School. “When I was in the 8th grade, I was […]
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Emily Albee (’06, ’09G, ’12G) says her high school students are often surprised to learn that she wasn’t entirely prepared for college when she started attending the University of Maine. The Hampden Academy social studies teacher is a self-described military brat who lived in Colorado, Hawaii and Maryland growing up. But both her parents were […]
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The Pride of Maine Black Bear Marching Band’s Alumni Band is a University of Maine Homecoming tradition that brings together current musicians with alumni for a few rousing numbers before the big game. The Alumni Band brings together more than just old friends, though — sometimes, it brings together families. Jeff and Sylvia Ferrell of […]
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