COVID-19 MAINE Alumni Magazine Submission (Class of 2020)

Without a doubt, the Class of 2020’s final semester was unlike anything any previous UMaine graduating classes have ever experienced. Like you, we wish your final semester at UMaine could be filled with the experiences, accomplishments, and celebrations that you deserve and had looked forward to as recently as two months ago. 

We are trying to make the best of a disappointing situation for you and your classmates. To do so, we need your help.

The UMaine Alumni Association is gathering stories, quotes, and photographs from members of UMaine’s Class of 2020 to document how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted class members’ lives. We will feature a selection of them in a special edition of MAINE Alumni Magazine, which will be distributed free to all members of the Class of 2020 and to tens of thousands of UMaine alumni throughout the U.S. 

Below we’ve provided a list of questions on this web form. Please respond only to those questions that interest you.  

Please note the following:

  • The magazine will feature excerpts of the submissions we receive. However, all submissions will be included in full in an expanded digital collection being compiled by the Alumni Association and Fogler Library.
  • All excerpts chosen for the magazine will be shared with their authors before they are printed.
  • We’d like our collection to include your photograph. Please attach a high-quality photo of yourself taken on campus, at home, on a walk, with a pet, etc., during this period of time. 
  • Your copy of the magazine will be mailed in July and will be sent to the postal address you provided to UMaine for May graduation. 

 

  • Please attach a high-quality selfie of yourself taken at work (if you are not working remotely), at home, on a walk, in a lab, etc., during this period of time. Or if you prefer, you may submit a headshot. 
    Max. file size: 32 MB.

  • Questions

  • Describe the moment you learned that classes would be moved online and that students would not be returning to campus. Where were you? What was your reaction? (<50 words)
  • Though we hope the answer is no, did you, a friend, or family member contract or test positive for COVID-19? If so, please share the experience from your own perspective. (<50 words)
  • Please share any stories, observations, or experiences that you believe will help readers understand the pandemic’s effects on you and your final semester at UMaine. (<50 words)
  • From a personal standpoint, what has been the most difficult adjustment you have had to make? How did it affect your family life, financial situation, or other responsibilities? (<50 words)
  • How did the COVID-19 restrictions affect your post-commencement employment, travel, or graduate school plans? What had you been hoping or planning to do? (<50 words)
  • The pandemic turned normal life upside down for most people. Please share a situation you experienced during this period that you’d describe as funny, weird, awkward, uplifting, emotional, tension-breaking, etc. (<50 words)
  • Describe anything you did as a volunteer or professional to help address public health conditions or to help neighbors and community members in need. Did any of these efforts relate to your academic field or extracurricular interests? Please explain. (<50 words)
  • Any additional observations that you would like to share? (<50 words)

 

Thank you! Contact John Diamond at diamond@maine.edu with any questions.

 

About the UMaine Alumni Association

Founded in 1875, the UMaine Alumni Association is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the best interests of UMaine and its former, current, and future students.

We do so by encouraging relationships and mobilizing resources in ways that enhance the value of a UMaine degree. Our efforts focus on:

  • providing information, programs, and events that serve our members’ personal and career interests; and
  • advocating for policies and assets that strengthen UMaine’s quality, reputation, and appeal.

The Alumni Association has more than 109,000 UMaine alumni living in 50 states and 112 countries.