Alumni
CLAS alumni can be found throughout the state, nation, and world and are actively involved in civic life, creative endeavors, businesses, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. Alumni report that their education in the liberal arts and sciences developed their analytical skills, critical thinking, an understanding of traditions of thought and action, and the ability to adjust to changes and to take leadership. Here are some profiles of our alumni.
Karla Mae Bosse
Writing from Cut Bank, Montana, Karla Mae Bosse reports, “I am now a public interest attorney, working for legal services in northwest Montana, advocating primarily on behalf of Native Americans, but also other low-income clients in a three-county service area adjacent to Glacier National Park and the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.” Ms. Bosse came to the law after gaining a solid liberal arts education, with B.A. degrees in English and Political Science, and a M.A. in English. She credits the mentoring of UMaine professors for encouraging her to attend law school at Georgetown University, from which she graduated in 2004. Ms. Bosse remarks, “My educational experience at UMaine was as good as what I could have gotten anyplace else – I am certain of that after attending one of the elite law schools with students who were graduates of some of the finest elite universities in the country. UMaine will always hold a very dear place in my heart.”
Misty Edgecomb
Misty Edgecomb, who graduated with a degree in journalism in 1999 and a degree in natural resources in 2000, has earned a Fulbright U.S. Student scholarship to South Korea in creative writing. She left for Seoul in September, after completing work for a master’s in journalism at the University of Oregon in Eugene. She will spend three months studying Korean and ten months researching and writing a nonfiction book about early adoptions during the Korean War. Her work will focus on the story of her husband’s father, who was adopted by a bachelor soldier in 1953 and was one of the first war orphans to come to the United States. Edgecomb is one of 10 people selected for a research grant this year and one of six to receive a Critical Language Enhancement Award. Selection criteria include academic or professional achievement as well as demonstrated leadership potential. Her reporting on environmental issues for the Bangor Daily News between 2000 and 2005 won awards from the Society of Environmental Journalists, the New England Associated Press Newspaper Executives and the Maine Press Association.
Charley Martin-Berry
Women’s Studies/Anthropology graduate Charley Martin-Berry works in Maine at the Cobscook Community Learning Center (CCLC) as a Passages Teacher/Coordinator, helping out-of-school pregnant and parenting teens to earn their high school diplomas. Martin-Berry reports that the committee that hired her thought that her “liberal arts background that includes a broad world view with an understanding of women’s issues was a great fit for the position.” After years of working for non-profits, she’s excited to be involved in serving this population and is “so glad to be doing it in Washington County.” Looking back at her college years, Martin-Berry writes, “I think about the courses I took at UMaine, all the experiences I had at the Women’s Resource Center and Women in the Curriculum/Women’s Studies offices. I think about the great instructors I had, and I want to extend heaps of gratitude to them all.”
David Morrison
David Morrison, ‘92, has returned to the University of Maine as a faculty member in Mechanical Engineering Technology. Morrison writes, “I have two UMaine diplomas on my wall, one in Mechanical Engineering and one in Philosophy. I had a great time studying philosophy while a student at UMaine, and now I hope it will help a new generation of students.” And how does a philosophy background contribute to his work? Morrison tells us, “I’m teaching a writing-intensive course that attempts to train our engineers to write good technical reports. My philosophy degree gave me a strong education in writing, and now the diploma on my wall gives me some authority on writing when students come to see me.”