She came to USM to become a music teacher, but found her real calling somewhere else entirely. Keep reading to find out how a trumpet, a conference in Hartford, and two years at USM led Hannah Paterson to the Marine Corps Band.
Samuel Genovese first walked into a Model UN conference as a nervous high school freshman. Eight years later, he stood at a podium inside USM’s Costello Field House and opened one as secretary-general, the student in charge of the entire event. Behind that full-circle moment is a story most of the 450 high schoolers in the room never saw: months of planning, a student-led leadership team, and everything it takes to pull off the Maine Model United Nations Conference. Keep reading to go behind the scenes with the USM student who ran the show.
When Olivia O’Donnell walked across the stage at commencement this spring, she left with more than she expected: a degree, a group of lifelong friends, and a full-time job she’d start the following week. Find out how a USM Career Hub internship made it happen before she even crossed the stage.
Makenzie Renner ’26 and Caleb Randall ’23 ’26G were among the more than 1,000 University of Southern Maine students who crossed the stage at commencement in May — but unlike most of their peers, the pair had just returned from Austria, where they were invited to present on the history and culture of American music at one of Europe’s leading conservatories. Keep reading to find out how two students from USM’s Osher School of Music took American Art Song to European stages, what it took to get there, and how the experience is now shaping their next steps.
When Aja Marzilli showed up to a women in business networking panel on campus her first semester at the University of Southern Maine, she was one of only three students in the room. Keep reading to learn how that nearly empty panel became the spark behind USM’s Women in Business Club — and what she’s built since.
Tim Fogleman arrived in Maine having visited the state exactly once. Two years later, he’s graduating from the University of Southern Maine with a public health degree, a Free Press byline, and friendships he calls the bedrock of everything. Keep reading to hear how a leap of faith led him to USM, what he found when he got here, and what he wants students to know about building community from scratch.
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.
Take a look behind the scenes at how University of Southern Maine students, staff, and faculty turned Cabaret from an idea into a full production. Keep reading to see the process through the eyes of a lead performer and the stage manager who helped bring it all together.
When Mohamed Ali arrived at the University of Southern Maine, he expected college to follow a simple formula: go to class, graduate, and move on. Keep reading to see how three internships and the Career & Employment Hub reshaped his experience, building skills, confidence, and a clearer career path.
The first time Christina Hart walked into Masterton Hall in 2002, she was a nursing student unsure if she belonged. Keep reading to see how, 23 years later, she’s back as a USM professor guiding the next generation.