Alumni profiles

Kaitlin Young

Kaitlin Young: Music education alumna named 2018 Maine Teacher of the Year

Kaitlin Young isn’t letting accolades go to her head. “I feel incredibly honored and humbled to be named the 2018 Maine Teacher of the Year,” says Young, a 2010 UMaine graduate in music education. “I am grateful for the opportunity to further the discussion about the importance of education for all students, as well as […]

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Cassie Vaillancourt: Alumna works at Sappi North America in Skowhegan

Cassie Vaillancourt ’12 (MBA) is using her business degree in the forest products industry. Vaillancourt, who earned a bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of Maine in 2010, works as an operations planner in the supply chain department at Sappi North America in Skowhegan. “I am responsible for planning production of the mill’s three […]

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Cary James

Cary James: UMaine alumnus and champion for students

University of Maine alumnus Cary James has been teaching chemistry at Bangor High School (BHS) for 17 years, and currently serves as the head of the school’s science and technology department. He has received numerous distinguished teaching awards, and his students have been recognized internationally for their academic achievements and innovations in the STEM fields. […]

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Alexandra Barzin

Alexandra Barzin: Kinesiology grad to teach English in Thailand

After graduating from the University of Maine this summer with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science, Alexandra Barzin is already off to her next adventure. The Jamestown, Rhode Island native has accepted a teaching position in Thailand. Barzin, who will teach English, says she’s a little nervous, but mostly excited. “I have always […]

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Don Oakes

Don Oakes: Sails translate to sales for CEO of Sea Bags

When Milo native Don Oakes was a boy it was a big deal to travel 40 or so miles to Bangor to buy school clothes and supplies. Oakes, now CEO of Sea Bags, describes his life in the ’70s in the town with 2,500 people and three rivers as similar to his favorite TV show, […]

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Travis Blackmer

Travis Blackmer: Finding educational gold in heaps of trash

For Travis Blackmer, the summer of 2011 was a summer of garbage. And it changed his life. While classmates at the University of Maine were waiting tables, pounding nails, or painting houses to make tuition money, the 20-year old undergrad was pawing through trash. Tons and tons of trash. But he didn’t really mind. After […]

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Ewa Kleczyk

Ewa Kleczyk: Economics alumna builds career in pharmaceutical industry

Ewa Kleczyk, executive director of commercial effectiveness analytics for Symphony Health Solutions and a University of Maine alumna, credits her economics degrees and time at UMaine with helping her pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry. “I think the small classes and the willingness of professors to truly coach and mentor us was one of […]

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