Meet Our Alumni
Andrew Bossie ’07
- Making a Difference
Not many people step off a college campus into a position to change lives. For Andy Bossie ’07, it was a matter of course.
In fact, while still an undergraduate at the University of Southern Maine, Bossie became a force in state politics.
First, in 2005, he was a lead figure in mobilizing 700 volunteers for the Maine Won’t Discriminate campaign, which helped ensure that state civil rights law protects gay men and lesbians from discrimination.
Then, in 2006, he headed Opportunity Maine, a citizen’s initiative that changed state law to give tax credits to college students for staying in Maine after graduation.
And two months after he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Bossie became executive director of the Maine AIDS Alliance, an advocacy group that helps local organizations promote HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, and treatment services.
It’s not an entirely uncommon story for graduates of the University of Southern Maine.
“What’s so special about USM is its accessibility,” Bossie says. “Students have so much access to professors and opportunities to learn and get experience.”
He calls his work with Maine Won’t Discriminate “an incredible experience. I learned how to instill my own passion in the campaign volunteers to get them excited and working hard for the cause—something you can’t really learn in the classroom.”
With Opportunity Maine, Bossie and his classmates worked with legislators, educators, business leaders, and students at every college in the state, collecting 73,000 signatures to place the proposal before the state legislature. In July 2007, Maine Gov. John Baldacci signed it into law.
“I focus on issues, passionately,” he says. “The best way to do that is by encouraging others, helping them focus their energy, and pointing them in the right direction.”
