Student of the Month
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November 2012 - Student of the Month - Sara Andrews
Sara Andrews, a Master of Education in Instructional Technology student is the November 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.
Graduate School: Where are you from originally?Andrews: I was born in Modesto, California, but was raised in Maine.
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
Andrews: I graduated from the University of Maine at Machias with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Entrepreneurial Studies with concentrations in Management and Business Sustainability.Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Andrews: I chose UMaine because it offered an online program that fit perfectly with my interests. It would allow me to work full-time, take care of my family, and still attend school. I also talked with my current advisor, Gail Garthwait, during the application process and was convinced that I would get all the support that I needed to succeed. I was right.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Andrews: I am in the M.Ed in Instructional Technology program.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Andrews: Thanks to the knowledge and skills that I have already attained from UMaine’s Instructional Technology program, I was able to secure a position as an Instructional Designer at St. Joseph’s College. After I graduate, I intend to explore MBA and/or PhD options as well as seek an adjunct teaching position.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Andrews: My most important accomplishment at UMaine so far is really just learning what I’m capable of. I’ve gained a lot of confidence from the experience of taking a rigorous course load in addition to working full-time. I wasn’t sure I could handle three graduate level courses with that work schedule, but I’ve learned that if you dig deep, sometimes you’ll surprise yourself!
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Andrews: The highlight of my academic experience has been engaging in the learning communities that have been provided. I have been continuously enriched by the shared knowledge of my peers. They have challenged my perceptions at every turn, and I have grown a lot because of it.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Andrews: I am a distance learning student, so my favorite place on the UMaine campus is my virtual classroom – Moodle.
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
Andrews: I have been incredibly blessed to have the support of my amazing family throughout this process. I could not have done it without the support of my partner, Michael, and our family, Troy, Danae, Jayden and Mallory. They have made a lot of sacrifices along the way, and I am sure they are looking forward to my graduation almost as much as I am!
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October 2012 - Student of the Month - Tobias Koffman
Tobias “Toby” Koffman, a Master of Science in Earth Sciences student is the October 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.
Graduate School: Where are you from originally?
Koffman: Southwest Harbor, Maine
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
Koffman: Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Koffman: I chose to come to UMaine so that I could learn about glacial geology from Professor Brenda Hall.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Koffman: I am currently pursuing a Master of Science in Earth Sciences, but also intend to pursue a Doctor of Philosophy.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Koffman: I hope to continue my research on the timing and cause of abrupt climate changes.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Koffman: My research results, which will help us to understand the causes of ice-age climate cycles.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Koffman: Doing field work in Antarctica and New Zealand were definite highlights.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Koffman: The botanical garden.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
Koffman: I received an NSF graduate research fellowship in 2011.
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September 2012 - Student of the Month - Corey Butler
Corey Butler, a Master of Education in Instructional Technology student is the September 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.
Graduate School: Where are you from originally?Butler: I’m from Lebanon, Maine; a small and quiet town on the New Hampshire border.
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?Butler: My undergraduate degree is also from UMaine, in New Media.
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
Butler: UMaine was the only undergraduate school I applied to, despite having the opportunity to go to more competitive schools. I fell in love with the atmosphere and the location. I wasn’t interested in looking anywhere else after I took a tour of UMaine.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
Butler: Master of Education in Instruction Technologies.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
Butler: I intend to pursue a professional career in computer administration and professional development at a University, maybe even UMaine or in the University of Maine System.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
Butler: As a graduate assistant for the College of Education and Human Development one of my responsibilities is supporting all of our distance education courses. This means communicating with the students and finding video conferencing sites in their areas, training faculty, and maintaining
the equipment at our own local sites.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
Butler: It’s tough to say, my capstone for my undergraduate degree was something I’m still to this day very proud of. I created and hosted a peer-to-peer file sharing network for the legal distribution of creative commons and public domain images and videos.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
Butler: The IT Help Center in the basement of Shibles Hall, where I also work. I’ve been there for many years now, and even though it’s a job, it’s like a second home to me and I’m very fond of all my coworkers.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
Butler: Being asked to represent the Instructional Technologies program at the Graduate Student Fair and discussing the program to potential students was quite an honor.
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
Butler: I played in the pep band for a year and also was a DJ for a punk radio show on WMEB for 2 years. I’m also an event photographer and as such I work for the Bear Brew Pub and have been contracted to do events for Student Government before, like when the music artist Girl Talk was here a couple years ago.
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May 2012 - Student of the Month - Gabriella D'Italia
Gabriella D'Italia, a Master of Fine Arts in Intermedia student is the May, 2012 Graduate Student of the Month.Graduate School: Where are you from originally?
D'Italia: Morristown, New Jersey
Graduate School: What undergraduate institution(s) did you previously attend?
D'Italia: St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland
Graduate School: Why did you choose to attend UMaine?
D'Italia: I have lived in Maine for ten years and want to continue living and working here. I want to build relationships with my community through the University. The Intermedia MFA program is the only one of its kind in Maine, and I view the interdisciplinary approach to research as a direct continuation of my undergraduate work and necessary to a working art practice.
Graduate School: What degree program are you pursuing?
D'Italia: An MFA in Intermedia.
Graduate School: What are your plans after graduation?
D'Italia: I will continue to make work in my field. This includes conducting creative research and presenting that research in professional venues.
Graduate School: What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?
D'Italia: The University of Maine has allowed me to connect with people, students, professors, and working artists that enrich and enable my work. I hope to sustain those relationships and engagements beyond graduation. I’ve had several professional successes, including exhibiting at one of Maine’s leading contemporary art venues, The Center for Maine Contemporary Art. The University has validated my work in a couple of respects. The Collins Center for the Arts commissioned two of my wall-mounted textile works for their building. Most recently, I was awarded the 2011-2012 Chase Distinguished Research Assistantship in support of my thesis research.
Graduate School: What is the highlight of your academic experience so far?
D'Italia: Working with artists who have come to lecture, teach, and advise at the University, most notably Randy Regier.
Graduate School: What is your favorite place on campus?
D'Italia: I like the old, brick buildings, like Chadbourne. I had the opportunity to go through the seemingly abandoned Holmes Hall, a fellow graduate student, Abigail Stiers, produced and installed work there. It was enchanting – but perhaps I was influenced by her work.
Graduate School: What awards or other significant recognition (both on or off-campus) have you received since beginning your degree program?
D'Italia: In addition to receiving multiple Graduate Student Government Grants and Intermedia Research and Project Grants through the University, I’ve also received the Ana Mendieta Memorial Fellowship and the Chase Distinguished Research Assistantship. I received a Maine Arts Commission Good Idea Grant in 2010.
My work has been exhibited locally and nationally. Most notably I was accepted into the International Quilt National ’09 Biennial and included in their publication; I received Honorable Mention at National Fiber Directions (2009); and I worked as part of a collaborative group on a project “An Ordinal of Alchimy” for Cabinet Magazine in Brooklyn, NY. I was included in an invitational triennial at the University of Maine Museum of Art, and the CMCA biennial exhibition. I had a solo exhibition at Aarhus Gallery in Belfast, Maine and this fall, my work is part of a two-person exhibition at the CMCA in Rockport.
I have received two residency positions, one as a fellow at Mildred’s Lane in Pennsylvania under artists Mark Dion, Robert Williams, and J. Morgan Puett. The other, I served as the Textiles Artist in Residence at Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago for 2011.
I’ve been included in a handful of publications: I was featured in the Emerging Artists Showcase in Fiberarts Magazine, (summer 2011). I was included in Maine Home and Design Magazine’s April 2011, Annual Art Issue. I was interviewed in an article for QuiltingArts.com titled Merging Intellect and Aesthetic. There have also been reviews for my most recent shows, a group show at Rose Contemporary in Portland, and Pieced at CMCA: “Pieced” at CMCAby Britta Konau, October 2011 http://freepressonline.com/main.asp?SectionID=50&SubSectionID=72&Article...
Art Review: New Contemporary Gallery Makes Impressive Debut, by Daniel Kany for The Portland Press Herald, September 2011 http://www.pressherald.com/life/audience/New-contemporary-gallery-makes-...
Graduate School: What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?
D'Italia: I’m very thankful for the opportunities that being at the University has offered me and for the support of the faculty, especially Dr. Owen Smith and Sheridan Kelley, and for the other students in my program with whom I look forward to continue working.
