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A student smiles while navigating a career fair, with a illustrated briefcase graphic overlaid on the image. A student smiles while navigating a career fair.

5 Ways to Prepare for Your First Summer Internship

You landed the internship — congrats! Keep reading to find five ways to show up prepared, confident, and ready to make the most of it.

Najmo Ahmed smiles in front of a wall of bookshelves.

Class of ’26: Meet Najmo Ahmed, USM’s Student Commencement Speaker

Najmo Ahmed has a lot going on. She’s finishing her bachelor’s degree in social and behavioral sciences at the University of Southern Maine, interning at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, and working toward a master’s in public health — all while preparing a commencement address her mother doesn’t even know about. Keep reading to hear how she got here, what drives her, and what she wants people to take away from her story.

Bridgette Toland smiles in front of a flowering pink tree. Text reads "Dear USM," with an illustrated graduation cap drawn above her head.

Class of ’26: A Love Letter to USM

For four years, USM has been more than just a school — it’s been the place where I found my people, my purpose, and myself. Keep reading to hear what I wish I’d known sooner, and what I’m carrying with me as I go.

View down the aisle between rows of standing graduates in caps and gowns at USM commencement. The word "May" overlays the image.

Monthly Roundup: May

may Monthly Roundup Welcome to the Monthly Roundup, your go-to guide for what’s happening at the University of Southern Maine and across the Greater Portland area each month! From campus performances, concerts and student events to local festivals, cultural happenings … Read More

A collage of polaroid-style photos layered over the USM Gorham soccer field at sunset, featuring USM women's soccer players photographing the sunset on the field, posing together in a group photo, and smiling at an event with a metallic backdrop.

College Decision Day: What to Consider Before Committing to USM

College Decision Day falls on May 1 — and if you’re in the middle of the process, you know how much weight this date can carry. Keep reading to hear from Ani Roberts, a USM sophomore and women’s soccer player, on what actually made a difference once she got to campus — and what she’d tell her high school self today.

USM President Jacqueline Edmondson smiles, with the text "President Edmondson on Polymath Pathways" overlaid on the image.

Meet USM’s Polymath Pathways: President Jacqueline Edmondson on the Degree Built for Career Resilience

Most college programs ask students to pick a lane — USM’s new Polymath Pathways program is built for those who have always been drawn to more than one. Keep reading to hear President Jacqueline Edmondson on what sparked the program and what she hopes it means for USM students.

Lisa Struebing references a quantum mechanics textbook while writing an equation on a whiteboard in the Dubyak Center on USM's Portland campus.

Class of ’26: How One Adult Student Kept Her Promise — and Earned Two USM Degrees Along the Way

When Lisa Struebing was in her twenties, she made a promise to her mother: she would finish the college degree that she’d started and set aside. Keep reading to hear how decades of determination, two USM degrees, and one introductory physics class led her here.

A portrait of USM senior Deklin Fitzgerald with illustrated graduation cap and tassel, part of the Class of '26 commencement series.

Class of ’26: Where There’s a Will, There’s Deklin Fitzgerald

Last September, USM senior Deklin Fitzgerald stood in front of more than 700 people and told his story — and when he stepped offstage, strangers approached him one after another to say the same thing: “I feel seen.” Keep reading to find out how four years of saying yes to just about everything led him there.

Thumbnail graphic with a blue background and colorful paper scrap overlays featuring three photos: a student photographing the ocean at the beach, the exterior sign for Portland Lobster Co., and Portland Head Light with the ocean in the background. Text reads "One Husky's Local Favorites" with white paw prints in the corner.

Class of ’26: My Favorite Places to Go and Things to Do as a USM Student in Southern Maine

From coffee dates and karaoke nights to beach days and ski trips, one graduating Husky shares her favorite ways to make the most of Southern Maine. Keep reading to find your next favorite spot.

Students study together at a picnic table, surrounded by illustrated doodles.

5 Study Hacks Tested by a USM Student

Finals are almost here, and a USM student put five popular study hacks to the test. Keep reading to find out which ones are actually worth your time — and which ones to skip.