I’m currently the director of the annual fund and alumni relations at UMF! I graduated from UMF in 2007 with my degree in creative writing and decided out of the blue to apply for the Disney College Program and Professional Internships and lived in Florida for a year while I completed my internships. It was hands-down a game changer for when I came back to Maine and was looking to find my new job (I met with the CEO of a retirement community in the Portland area who created a marketing job for me on the spot after talking to me about my internship experiences). I worked for that company for four years before a position opened up at UMF, and I thought, “Why not?”
I’ve been working at UMF for five years now and I am so excited to work for my alma mater and with all of the alumni.
Career advice? Approach all opportunities with optimism and wonder. Be open to the possibilities even if it’s something you haven’t imagined you’d end up doing. Find happiness in small things.
Professional highlight: writing nearly 150 pithy descriptions for our “150 for 150 Gift Registry” for UMF’s birthday in 2013-2014.Spent a lot of time sitting around and thinking about pop up tents for athletics, headphones for piano labs, extra seating in the library, and other bits and pieces to make the campus better.