We know this greatly disappointed the members of the Class of 2020. It disappointed us as well. You deserved a proper in-person send-off and celebration of all you accomplished but due to continued COVID restrictions throughout the past 14 months, we were simply unable to do it — as much as we dearly wanted to.
So we put together this video to tide us over til the time (soon?) we can all get together somewhere, somehow, to celebrate in person.
All of us at UMF deeply appreciate your patience and understanding. You’ve shown us all the true UMF spirit and we’re humbled and grateful for your continued support.
Commencement 2020 Video
Coming in July 2022 — We’ll celebrate in true UMF style
We’ve heard you say over and over that the hardest part of leaving UMF in March 2020 was that you didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to your classmates. We get it. So we want to throw you a celebration you’ll not forget.
On July 23-24, 2022 we are going to host a special summer reunion celebration just for the Class of 2020.
This will be a fun-filled, Class of 2020 weekend back on campus with a dinner, a social gathering and other events (white-water rafting, anyone?). The UMF Alumni Office will keep you posted on this.
Again, it’ll be July of 2022 — not this summer.
UMF’s Ferro Alumni Center
tel 207-778-7090
TYY (via Maine Relay Service) dial 711
umfalumni@maine.edu
Keynote Speaker, Senior Class Speaker and Class of 2020 Student Speaker
Patricia O’Donnell, UMF Professor of Creative Writing, was the Keynote Speaker.
Patricia O’Donnell joined the University of Maine at Farmington in 1992, as its first Professor of Fiction Writing in the University’s then-brand-new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, a program she led from 2006 until 2019. For 33 years, Pat has been the heart of the Creative Writing program, supporting, inspiring and guiding hundreds of young writers.
Patricia O’Donnell’s short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Agni Review, The North American Review, Prairie Schooner, Short Story, American Literary Review, and other journals and anthologies.
Her novel, Necessary Places, was published in 2012; her memoir, Waiting to Begin, in 2016; and her short story collection, Gods for Sale, won the Serena McDonald Kennedy Award and was published in 2017. In the spring of 2019 her novel, The Vigilance of Stars, was published.
McKayla Marois gave the 2020 Senior Class President Address.
McKayla Marois is a 2020 alumna of the University of Maine at Farmington where she received a Self-Designed degree in Inclusive Educational Policy with a concentration in Leadership and the Creative Arts.
She is currently earning a M.S.Ed in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Texas at Austin, while also working at the University as a full-time Financial Aid Officer. While a student at Farmington, Mikayla worked for several years in leadership positions in UMF’s Admissions Office.
Jasmine Athamni was the Class of 2020 Student Speaker.
Jasmine Athamni is a 2020 alumna of the University of Maine at Farmington where she received a B.S. in Early Childhood Education.
After she graduated from UMF, Jasmine moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to pursue her dream job as a Lead Preschool Teacher in a culturally diverse community. Since starting her job she has been motivated to learn Spanish as her fourth language — she is already fluent in Arabic and Hebrew, having lived in the Middle East; and became fluent in English while she lived in the U.S.
Jasmine grew up traveling between different states and overseas. Over the past 10 years she has called Falmouth, Massachusetts her hometown. Jasmine hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education.
And in case you missed it, here’s the Class of 2020 Virtual Recognition we posted last year.
Contact us
Ferro Alumni Center
University of Maine Farmington
242 Main Street
Farmington, ME 04938
tel 207-778-7090
TYY (via Maine Relay Service) dial 711
umfalumni@maine.edu