Nominations are now open for student Rising Scholars

Begun in 2011, Rising Scholars are recognized at Convocation for both academic achievement and promise. UMA’s 2022 Convocation takes place September 16th.

This year’s Convocation is scheduled for September 16th, 2022 at 3:00 pm, and will be an in-person event.

Faculty are strongly encouraged to nominate up to two students as Rising Scholars. Staff are also invited to nominate students for the academic honor.

Rising Scholars nominated and selected previously automatically continue as Rising Scholars this year, provided they are currently enrolled and in good standing. These Rising Scholars will be invited to Convocation and recognized during the program.

New Rising Scholars will also be recognized during the Convocation program.

View other tabs above for more information on the Rising Scholar program and how to nominate a student. Please review the Previous Rising Scholars tab before making your nominations, since these students do not need to be nominated again.

Please click on a topic for more information.

Rising Scholars is an initiative that began in 2011 as a means to:

  • Recognize at Convocation both student achievement and student promise/potential;
  • Better engage students at Convocation;
  • Reinforce mentoring relationships between faculty and students.
  • Create another gateway for students to consider applying for the Honors Program.
  • Complete the Nomination Form.
  • The deadline for nominations is Friday, September 2nd. However, the sooner nominations are made the smoother the communication process with Rising Scholars will be.
  • In nominating a student, please first review the list of previous Rising Scholars (you can find it the tabs above). Anyone nominated and selected previously is automatically a Rising Scholar this year, provided they are still enrolled at UMA and a student in good standing. These students do not need to be nominated again.
  • To nominate a student as a Rising Scholar, you must be either a full-time or part-time faculty member, or a member of the UMA staff.
  • The criteria for nominating a Rising Scholar is deliberately broad, enabling you to choose up to two students who, in your opinion, have either excelled in or out of the classroom, or whom you believe shows great potential and promise as student scholars.
    • Student must have completed one semester at UMA (full-time or part-time, even if just one semester-long course).
    • Student must be enrolled at UMA for Fall 2022.
    • Student may not have graduated as of Fall 2022.
  • Nominees will be approved for selection as a Rising Scholar pending a Registrar review to ensure the nominee is a student in good standing.
  • Any students nominated by you and approved by the Registrar will be formally notified by the Convocation Committee that they were selected as a Rising Scholar. These students will also be notified that they were specifically nominated by you, and that they will be attending Convocation as your special guest.
  • Faculty members are strongly encouraged to nominate up to two Rising Scholars. You will be notified if any students you nominate have already been nominated by another faculty member.
  • Because Rising Scholars nominated by you will be notified that they will be attending Convocation as your special guest, there is an expectation that you will be attending Convocation.
  • Staff, especially those who work directly with students in the areas of advising and academic support, may also nominate up to two students as Rising Scholars. You will be notified if any students you nominate have already been nominated.
  • While we recognize that students shine in many areas, it is asked that staff keep in mind the academic focus of the Rising Scholar honor as they consider nominating a student.
  • Because Rising Scholars nominated by you will be notified that they will be attending Convocation as your special guest, there is an expectation that you will be attending Convocation.
  • Rising Scholars selected for previous years will be seated in a special section and recognized during the Convocation program.
  • Rising Scholars nominated and selected this year will be recognized during the program, with the added distinction of joining faculty in the processional.

If you have further questions about Rising Scholars or the nomination process, please contact Ariel Cassista at ariel.cassista@maine.edu.

First Name Last Name
Denise Adkins
Cody Agnor
Heather Aiken
Marlon Alarcon
Denise Alderman
Aaminah Aleem
Fatimah Aleem
Courtney Allen
Albert Allen
Justin Ambrose
Alyssa Ames
Sean Ames
Isaiah Anderson
Jaimee Anderson
Matija Andjelkovic
Allison Anger
Crystal Anthony
Cynthia Anthony
William Appel
Nicholas Applebee
David Arbour
April Archibald
Candace Arsenault
Keith Arvanitis
Sarah Ashmore
Melanie Aubuchon
First Name Last Name
Cynthia Bachelder
Benjamin Bailey
Colin Barclay
Barbara Barez
Melissa Barez
Dorie Barnes
Chandler Barter
Julia Batty
Adrienne Beacham
Nicholas Bear
Maylline Beaucher
Brian Beavis
Haley Beem
Pamela Belisle
Matraca Bellegarde
Crystal Benner
Lindsay Benner
Jennifer Bennett
Eliza Berberian
Jonathan Berg
Jared Bernier
Paige Berube
Alexander Bessey
Alyssa Betts
Misty Beylerian
Diane Bibber-Oden
Angela Bickford
Kara Birks
John Birmingham
Jessica Bishop
Catharine Bissonnette
Sadie Biter
Thomas Bivens
Henri Bizindavyi
Nicole Blair
Brianna Blaschke
Amy Bley
Logan Bolduc
Stacey Bond
Joshua Bonney
Crystal Boone
Jeremy Bouford
Shaun Bourque
Donald Bowden
Annette Bowman
Tiffany Bowman
Emily Boyd
Jennifer Boynton
Brian Bradeen
Carmen Bragg
Keith Bragg
Nicholas Bragg
Robin Brann
Andrew Breault
Mark Bridges-Music
Chris Bridgham
Jessica Briethaupt
Heather Brinson
Lisa Broadbent
Heather Bronish
Laura Brooks
Alex Brown
Benjamin Brown
Brittany Marie Brown
Deborah Brown
Elizabeth Brown
Haley Brown
Israel Brown
Jaclyn Brown
Patricia Brown
Paul Brown
Samantha Brown
Tamika Brown
Isabelle Bryant
Maylynn Bubar
Jessica Buck
Katie Bucklin
Charla Burnett
Nellie Burns
Kaeti Butterfield
Melinda Butterfield
Cara Buttitta
Katherine Buzzell
First Name Last Name
Brandi Campbell
Virginia Campbell
Julie Carleton
Michelle Carlson
Joshua Caron
Anna Carpenter
Laura Carrier
Patty Carriere
Robert Carroll
Brittany Carter
Cheryl Carter
Colleen Carter
Kimberly Carter
Patrick Carter
Anthony Cartlidge
Elizabeth Carver
Evelyn Casanova
Owen Casas
Sherry Casas
Stephen Casey
Patrick Caskin
Laura Cass
Ariel Cassista
Jenna Caswell
Cynthia Caverly
Alexandra Cayer
Erin Chabe
Patricia Chadwick
Lori Chalila
James Chamberlain
Jennifer Chapman
Will Chapman
Chris Chaput
Shannon Charette
Dylan Charlesworth
Briana Chattin
Hunter Chesley
Keith Chesley
Katie Choate
Emily Christiansen
Harald Christiansen
James Christie
Carolyn Clark
Gretchen Clark
Loralyn Eddy Clark
Carly Cloukey
Alyssa Cloutier
Maggie Coffin
Allen Colby
Donny Cole
Suzanne Cole
Annie Collins
Mathew Collins
Amber Collman
Delenn Colson
Paige Colson
Ashley Conkright
Breanna Conners
Leeanna Conners
Jeanette Cook
Lauren Cook
Ann Cookson
Cory Cookson
Kristen Cormier
Nathalie Cormier
Sarah Cormier
Amy Cossar
Aspen Cote
Sarah Coughlin
Alissa Coulombe
Arielle Cousens
Jennifer Cousins
Miranda Cousins Sternberg
Amanda Couture
Jayde Couturier
Jerry Cox
Alivia Cram
Jamie Cram
Jaden Crawford
Susan Crawford
Susan Crosby
Janice Cross
Michelle Cross
Devin Crowley
Amanda Cummings
Nicole Cyr
First Name Last Name
Batoul Daaboul
Kathrine Daniels
Taylor Davidson
Eric Davis
Donna Davis-Rankin
Debora Dawson
Megan Day
Michelle Day
Anna DeMerchant
Lee Demers
David Demmons
Hannah Demmons
Christina Demmons Levesque
Shawn Devinney
Allina Diaz
Sarah Dietze
Chris Dinwiddie
Miranda Dixon
Stephanie Doe
Jerrie Doerr
Alyra Donisvitch
Craig Donovan
April Doughty
Angela Douglas
Katherine Doyen
Christine Doyle
Kelly Doyle
Catherine Draper
Kristin Dubay
Jamia Dufour
Jessica Dummich
Kimberly Dunham
Karen Dunn
Dezirey Durazo
Corina Durkee
Nicholas Dustin
Jonna Duvall-Williams
Sabrina Dyke
First Name Last Name
Molly Eames
Erin Efron
Nathan Eisworth
Keako-Marie Elliott
Kate Ellis
Samuel Ellis
Kimberli Emerson
Priscilla Emerson
Sierra Emery
Brian Englander
Ryan Eslin
Kendall Espinosa
Kelley Evtushek
First Name Last Name
Jennesa Fabbri
Lien Fajardo
Kaija Fellman
Martin Feracci
Elizabeth Fergusson
Keisha Fetchen Beal
Amanda Field
Amanda Field
Briana Field
Wenda Fisher
Shannon Fitts
Linzi Fitzgerald
Zoe Fitzgerald-Beckett
Deborah Flagg
Celeste Flint
Desiree Footman
Patrick Forgue
Richard Fortuna
Naomi Foster
Nathan Foster
Suzanne Fougere
Amy Fowler
Pamela Frace
Collin Frangos
Erica Fredrick-Rock
Al French
Jeremy French
Rebekah Friel
Frederick Fruehan
Dale Furno
First Name Last Name
Wanda Gagne
Lisa Gallant
Hannah Gamble
Sarah Gardella
Benjamin Garthoff
Sarah Garthoff
Jada Gastia
Katelynn Gayne
Shannon Marie Gebo
Julie Gee
Gari-Lynne Gehrke
Deanna Genovese
Catherine Geren
Samuel Gerken
Beverly Giasson
Evan Gilbert
Charles Gilbertson
Vincent Gilmore
Karla Glick
Elizabeth Glover
David Gonnella
Sarita Goodman
Ashley Goodwin
Kimberly Grant
Pamela Grant
Maegan Graslie
Amanda Grasse
Nathan Green
Sadie Greene
Carrie Grindle
Opal Grivois
Sonia Groesbeck
Sabrina Growe
Stacy Gunning
Jillian Guthrie
First Name Last Name
Thuan Thi Thanh Ha
Elizabeth Hagerman
Lyn Hall
Heather Halliday
Robyn Hamilton
Mike Hamm
Karl Hance
Rayanna Hancock
Darleen Hanley
Brittany Hanson
Crystal Hanson
Michelle Hardy
Hilary Harkins
Naomi Harkins
Nicole Hart
Peter Hartung
Dana Haskell
Lee Haskell
Marian Hastings
Kimberly Hastings-Leavitt
Joshua Hatfield
Andrew Hathaway
Andrew Hathaway
Santa Havener
Brienne Hayes
Michaela Hayes
Tessa Hayes
Morgan Heal
William Heim
Steven Heller
Rachael Hendrick
Clifford Hendricks
Danitza Hendrix
Willow Blanche Henry-Elwell
Emily Herlihy
Thomas Herlihy
Kelley Herrick
Kyla Hershey-Wilson
Jaime Higgins
Rebekah Higgins
Carrie Hill
Earl Hill
Micayla Hill
Kevin Holland
Sarah Holland
Michael Hollander
Joseph Holmes
Amy Holt
Rick Holte
Malcolm Holteen
Sonya Houle
Candis Howard
Kerrianne Howland
Joshua Hunsinger
Kathleen Huntington
Kate Hutchinson
Michalea Hutchinson
Savina Hutchinson
Ashley Hutter
First Name Last Name
Michael J. Iarrobino
Maria Irrera
Narcisse Isafamaba
First Name Last Name
Dustin Jackson
Erik Jackson
Noah Jacques
Jessica Jacobson-Mielnicki
Crista Grace Jakacky
Tanna Jellison
Stano Jennifer
Courtney Jicks
Jodi Jipson
Eli Johnson
Jessica Johnson
Jordan Johnson
Lynda Johnson
Nicole Johnson
Hallie Johnston
Amy Jones
Amy Jones
Emerson Jones
Howard Jones
Ethan Jordan
Arwen Joseph
Margaret Junge
First Name Last Name
Dorothy Kaminski
Hannibal Kane
Melissa Kapocius
Amy Kapocius Wing
Michaela Kavanah-Koehn
Randal Keach
Molly Kelley
Rachel Kelley
Tracey Kelsey
Jessie Kendall
Jason Kengott
Cindy Kennard
Celena Kent
Julie Kern
Renee Keul
Chelsea Kidd
Kristen Kilcollins
Erica Kilde
Whitney Kilton
Jisu Kim
Minjoo Kim
Ashley King
Jeffrey (Scott) King
Jillian King
Dan Kirchoff
Tobias Knausenberger
Matthew Knight
Rayna Knight
Rebekah Knowlton
Amy Krawic
Luke Krebs
Danelle Kruger
James Kurr
First Name Last Name
Natalie LaBonte
Kelsey Lachance
Masha LaChance
Caitlin LaFountain
Sherry Laliberte
Tiffany Lamarre
Jean Lancaster
Brittany Landry
Chelsea Lane
Zachary Lane
Christopher Langtry
Pierre Laot
Abby Leach
Peter Leach
Samantha LeBeau
Nathaniel LeClaire
Irene Lee
Tyler Lee
Nicholas Leeman
Mary Lehmer
Jenna LeMay
Mallyssa Leng
Paul Leonard
Cassidy Lessner
Aquene Lewey
Steven Lewicki
Wenonah Lewis
Ann Lindholm
Samuel Livingston
Lauren Lobikis
James Longfellow
Anthony Lopatosky
Emma Lord
Charlie Lorentsen
Bethanie Lovely
Ethan Lowe
Lisa Lowell
Jason Ludden
Haylea Lujan
Wendi Luther
Wendi Luther
Rebecca Lux Soc
Dori Lynn
First Name Last Name
Charlotte MacDonald
Emily MacDonald
Roger Mackbach
Kaila MacMaster
Sue Macy
Alexander Maheux
Nicole Mahoney
Ryan Mahoney
Mike Malone
Lukin Manetti
Jonathon Markham
Amy Martin
Evan Martin
Evan Martin
Kassidy Martin
Kevin Martin
Kristin Martin
Michael Martin
Kelly Martineau
Fred Martines
Lauren Masse
Lydia Mather
David Maxcy
Barbara Mayer
Brenna McAfee
Margaret McArthur
Logan McCarthy
Charissa McCarver
Christine McCormick
Bill McCrillis
Patrick McGeough
Sarah McGowan
Megan McGrother
Peter McGuire
Benjamin McKenna
Hannah McLaughlin
Monika McLaughlin
Tina McLeod
Alex McMullen
Karen Merrill
Lynn Merrill-Duplessis
Melissa Meserve
Sierra Meservey
Nathan Michaud
Nacia Miller
Madison Mills
Elspeth Mitchell
Joan Mitchell
Dulce Yesenia Moguel
Nicole Mohoff
Natasha Moiseenko
Jennifer Moody
Mariah Moore
Rosalini Moore
Sierra Moore
Doreen Morgan
Diane Morin
Dylan Morin
Ethan Morin
Philip Morrison
Maureen Morse
Deborah Morton
Patience Moxcey
Chelsea Muir
Kari Mullen-McLaughlin
Laurie Murphy
Alaina Murray
Angie Musto
Ashlie Myer
First Name Last Name
Jocelyn Nadeau
Ashley Nadeau-Belanger
Danielle Namer
Aimee Nason
Donna Nason
Donna Nason
Raymond Nason
Alicia Nejako
Megan Nelson
Sarah Nichols
Stacy Nightingale
Catharine Noel
Jade Noonan
Melora Norman
Elizabeth Norris
Daniel Norton
Erika Norton
Samantha Nowlin
Ramon Nunez
First Name Last Name
Brad O’Brien
Shelley O’Connell
Angela Oechslie
Julia Olko
Melissa Oprendek
Molly Orcutt
Daniel Osier
Daniel Ouellette
Ouseiny Ousmane
Alantha Owen
Katy Owen
Lian Oyerbides
First Name Last Name
Meghan Packard
Molly Palmer
Savannah Palmer
Remi Paluszak
Todd Parker
Tasha Patneaude
Keariel Peasley
Jodie Peatfield-Patterson
Matthew Pedra
Kathleen Pelkey
Mark Pelkey
Mark Pelkey
Ethan Percy
Caitlyn Perez
Brianna Perkins
Stephen Perkins
Vivian Perreault
Clinton Pettengill
Chase Philbrook
Eric Philbrook
Alicia Phillips
Elizabeth Phillips
Jasmin Pike
Sienna Plourde
Jamie Plummer
Jasmine Poland
Cindy Polley
Jill Polley
Jesse Poole
Michaela Poor
Carol Porter
Leo Porter
Marissa Potter
Brooke Poulin
Rebekah Powell
Daniel Pozner
Anthony Pranses
Andrew Pratt
Yvette Presley
Hannah Priest
Janna Prout
Daniel Prygrocki
Tessa Pyles
First Name Last Name
Andrew Radford
Jonathan Raines
Savannah Raiten
Caitlin Ramsay
Julia Ranks
Rochelle Reardon
Rochelle Reardon
April Reed
Kimberly Reed
William (Bill) Reed
Nhyla Ried
Andrew Reinhardt
Tonia Reiter
Aaron Reynolds
Michelle Rhodes
Michelle Leah Rhodes
Jennifer Rice
Alissa Rich
Adriana Richard
Denielle Richard
Karen Richard
Kim Richards
Aire Rietdyk
Casey Riitano
Tristen Ripley
Tonia Roberson
Tonya Robert
Joshua Roberts
Nathan Roberts
Nicole Roberts
Jacob Roddy
Michelle Roderick
Jessica Rodrigue
Jacqueline Rodriguez
Judith Rodriguez-Salas
Brandon Rogers
Brittany Rogers
Ellen-Marie Rogers
Ian Rogers
Alyssa Rollins
Elizabeth Rollins
Arik Ross
Candace Roy
Chelsey Roy
Louis Roy
Rachel Ruel
First Name Last Name
Brooke Safferman
Anastasia Salls
Katherine Salonen
Heather Saucier
Morgan Saunders
Valerie Jean Saunders
Elizabeth Savage
Aaron Sawyer
Karl Schadlich
Nathan Searles
Olivia Seibel
Elas Seip
Ryan Seymour
Bashir Shaleh
Rillyria Sherifi
Brittany Shorey
Rorie Short
Jessica Shoudy
Michael Shunney
Jessica Sidelinger
Susan Siegler
Liam Sigaud
Olaf Sigaud
Reginna Simmons
Shannon Simons
David Sincyr
Adam Singleton
Chelsea Sionni
Brandon Sirois
Bryant Sirois
Sierra Sirois
Abbey Slinker
Rachael Sloat
Nathaniel Small
Rachel Small
Bailey Smith
Brittany Smith
Gabriel Smith
Joshua Smith
Julie Smith
Megan Smith
Tracy Smith
Emily Smithson
Kimberly Snider
Ashley Snowdale
John Snyer
Kendra Sockabasin
Ryan Soucie
Jaime Spadea
Martin Spahn
John Spier
Joseph Spiller
William Sprague
Mairi St Amand
Caleb (Charles) Stahl
Jennifer Stanley
Dean Staples
Shawn Staples
Peter Starkey
Rebecca Steele
Meghan Stetson-Bartlett
Elisabeth Stevens
Joy Stevens
Kate Stevens
Nicole Stinson
Julia Stires
Makaye Stone
Benjamin Stoodley
Ellen Stoops
Kyle Straiton
Lindsay Strout
Melissa Strout
Bridget Stuart
Ricky R. Sturgis
Billie-Lee Sullivan
Patricia Swain
Matthew Sylvester
First Name Last Name
Jeremy Tanis
Dawn Tarbox
Katherine Tardif
Stephanie Tasker
Sabrina Tatseos
Amy Taylor
Amy Taylor
Lauren Taylor
Nicole Taylor
Michael Temple
Denise Terrell
Kendralee Tessier
Rhiannon Thai
Sarah Therrien
Paige Thibodeau
Mersia Thibodeau
Brenda Thomas
Hannah Thompson
Noah Thompson
Robert Thompson
Nallie Thor
Richard Thorp
Jessica Tingler
Lisa Tissari
Heather Tozier
Eli Trask
Benett Trinh
Margaret Troost
Arthur (Rion) Turner
Jennifer Twadelle
Karen Twidwell
Faith Twitchell
Molly Tyler
First Name Last Name
Karyssa Upham
First Name Last Name
Vannessa Valley
Robert Van Epps
Karen Vanzura
Christopher Veilleux
Tessa Vellani
Danielle Ventucci
Melissa Verburgt
Beth Voter
First Name Last Name
Audrey Wade
Libby Wade
Kristine Wagstaff
Donald Waite
Ken Walden
Carrie Walker
Jesse Walker
Joseph Walker
Tristan Walker
Adam Wallace
Jacob Walmer
Bonita Waltman
Sara Wandell
Melissa Ward
Sierra Ware
Reginald Watkins
Jennifer Webb
Alexander Webster
Schemell Weech
Samantha Wenzel
Hannah Wheelock
Kevin (Michael) White
Michelle White
Tasha White
John Whitt
Emily Whittemore
Doris Wible
Ashely Wiggins
Robert Wilcox
Rosemary Wildes
Samantha Wilkins
Heather Wilkinson
Jared Wilkinson
Lisa Wilkinson
Katherine Willett
Amanda Willette
Catherine Williams
Jeffrey Williams
Kenneth Williams
Michael Willis
Robin Wilson
Heidi Winslow
Rebecca Winter
Joschka Winterling
Myranda Wohlford
Eugene Wood
Emily Woodworth
Denise Worcester
Nicholle Worcester
Alexander Wright
Kathryn Wroten
Wanda Wyman
First Name Last Name
Amani Ghazi Yaqoob
Mohammed Yaqoob
Laurel York
Kelly Young
Marianne Young
First Name Last Name
Celena Zacchai
Maggie Zall
Nina Zeldin
Christian Zwaga

Revised 12/2/19