UMA Alumni

09/10/2025

Amazing Day ⚾️

08/19/2025

Take Me Out to the Ballgame, UMA Alumni! ⚾

Join us on Sunday, September 7 at Hadlock Field to cheer on the Portland Sea Dogs for a day packed with baseball, food, and fun! We’ll be joined by fellow alumni from University of Maine at Presque Isle, University of Maine at Fort Kent, and University of Maine at Farmington.

Your ticket includes seats in the Sea Dogs Picnic Area, an all-you-can-eat ballpark buffet from 12–2 PM, and an exclusive UMA baseball cap. Gates open at 11:30 AM, the pre-game parade kicks off at 12:15 PM, and first pitch is at 1:00 PM.

🎟️ Grab your tickets today and join us for a fun family-friendly afternoon: https://www.gofevo.com/event/Umaalumni2/offer

For more information, contact Carolyn Anderson ([email protected]).

05/22/2025

Welcome to our alumni family, Class of 2025! You are UMA. Always! 💙🫎

05/14/2025

05/09/2025

✨ University of Maine at Augusta is pleased to recognize two outstanding alumni with the Distinguished Alumni Award at its 2025 Commencement on May 10, 2025. This year’s honorees are Justin Chenette '21, a public servant and communications leader, and Mary E. Gibson ’07, a nationally recognized archivist and advocate for Indigenous cultural preservation.

This award is a celebration of those who inspire others through their leadership, who use their talents to serve their communities, and who truly embody UMA’s mission in action. This year's honorees remind us that success isn’t just about what you achieve—it’s about how you lift others along the way. One act of advocacy, one project, one student, one story at a time.

💙 Read more and join us in celebrating these two remarkable alumni: https://www.uma.edu/news/trailblazing-alumni-to-be-recognized-at-university-of-maine-at-augustas-2025-commencement-may-10/

05/06/2025

It’s here: UMA’s first-ever Give Forward Week is live!

This week, we’re inviting alumni, students, faculty, and friends to join us in honoring the faculty and staff who are making a difference. The professors who believed in us. The advisors who guided us along the way. The people who made us feel like we belonged.

💙 Make a gift in someone’s honor.
📚 Help us support current and future UMA students.
📖 Share and read stories from alumni whose lives were changed at UMA.

Join us. Give back to give forward!
https://www.givecampus.com/schools/UniversityofMaineatAugusta/give-forward-week

03/28/2025

*POSTPONED to April 6!* Please join us for the opening reception of the 2025 UMA Student Art Exhibition *Sunday, April 6 at 1:00 p.m.! This year's exhibition features the work of 19 student artists whose works created in UMA Art classes this academic year were juried by Brian Smith and Grace DeGennaro. Please join us as we celebrate the creative excellence of UMA's student artists!

Details:
Opening Reception March 30 at 1:00 p.m.
Snow Date: April 6 at 1:00 p.m.

Image: Detail of "mannerist hands study on cardboard box 1" by Morgan Cafferata

UMA Student Life University of Maine at Augusta

03/21/2025

👀🏀🫎 We spy a Moose in the March Madness! Wishing UMA alumnus and Maine native Keith Chelsey good luck in his role as an assistant coach at Mount St. Mary's as the team faces Maine’s Cooper Flagg and Duke in the NCAA tournament. Keith is a former UMA basketball standout and the program’s all-time leading scorer.

Keith Chesley, a former standout at the University of Maine at Augusta and the program’s all-time leading scorer, is an assistant coach at Mount St. Mary's, Duke's opponent on Friday

02/14/2025

🫶 At University of Maine at Augusta, we’re proud of the lifelong connections our alumni make, and sometimes those connections turn into something truly special. That’s why we’re celebrating Moose Matches this February! ❤️🫎

From nontraditional students who met during class, to spouses who supported each other while pursuing degrees, to star basketball players and veterans, our Moose Match stories showcase the heart of UMA's mission: high quality, accessible education that meets every student where they are. Now that's love. 💕

02/13/2025

❤️🫎 ❤️🫎

“UMA brought us together, and for that, I am forever grateful.” - Kellie

For Kellie Mason Padgett ‘11 and Jeff Padgett ‘13, UMA was more than a place to earn a degree. It was where their paths crossed, where their friendship grew, and where their love story began.

Jeff enrolled at UMA in 2005 as a first-generation student and the only among five siblings to pursue higher education, choosing the school for its proximity to home. He initially pursued mental health and human services before switching to applied science. Two years later, Kellie transferred to UMA, majoring in mental health and human services and playing basketball.

Their shared coursework led to shared time in the classroom, and soon, their connection deepened. Over the years, they worked full-time jobs while attending school, supporting each other through their education. In September 2015, Kellie and Jeff were married, celebrating the bond that had started years earlier at UMA!

After graduating, both dedicated their careers to helping others. Kellie built a lengthy career in education working with children with special needs. She is now a case manager, working with children and adults in the mental health field. Jeff also pursued a career in special education, where he was known for his patience and passion. He spent the last four years of his life making a difference in the lives of students at Cony Middle and High School.

Jeff passed away on November 16, 2024, leaving behind a legacy of kindness, dedication and love.

Reflecting on their time at UMA, Kellie shared how much it meant to them both. “Going to school together strengthened our relationship. UMA brought us together, and for that, I am forever grateful.” ❤️

Do you know of a UMA Moose Match? Share your story!
🔗https://forms.gle/SiZE2zZXhD6rvj6P6

02/12/2025

❤️🫎 ❤️🫎

“A chance meeting at UMA turned into a lifetime together!” - Jessica and Jason

For Jessica and Jason Stockmar, a simple hello in the hallway at UMA led to a love story that has lasted for two decades.

Jessica was a student in mental health and human services, working on a project for her Interviewing and Counseling course with her friend Erica. Jason was on break from his economics class down the hall when he stopped to say hello. His timing wasn’t accidental. Jessica’s boyfriend at the time was hoping to set him up with Erica for a double date.

As fate would have it, Jessica and Jason were the real match that day. Now, 20 years later, they celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary on February 4.

They still live local to UMA’s Augusta’s campus and have built a beautiful life together with their three children. Their connection to UMA has come full circle. Now, their oldest child, now 18, is in his second year at UMA!

❤️ This Moose Match goes to show that sometimes love finds you in the most unexpected places, even in the hallway between classes.

Do you know of a UMA Moose Match? Share your story!
🔗https://forms.gle/SiZE2zZXhD6rvj6P6

02/12/2025

❤️🫎 ❤️🫎

“UMA was the foundation of our future—degrees, a wedding and now a family!”- Mary & Josh

Mary and Joshua Boudreau’s journey to University of Maine at Augusta was not a straight path, but it turned out to be exactly where they were meant to be.

After initially attending other schools in the University of Maine System, both Mary and Josh found themselves needing to move back home and transferred to UMA to continue their education. Josh earned a bachelor's degree in cybersecurity, while Mary earned degrees in both justice studies and computer information systems.

Though their UMA experience brought them closer, their connection actually began years earlier. In 2006, they were introduced by Mary’s sister, Rebecca Martin, a fellow UMA alum. It wasn’t until a decade later, when they both returned for computer-related studies, that they reconnected and their relationship truly began.

They often studied together, took overlapping courses, and had many of the same professors—including Professor Henry F***h, who was instrumental in guiding them through their academic journeys.

After graduation, they took the next big step. In June 2020, they were married at their home near Augusta, determined to celebrate their love despite the challenges of the pandemic.

Since then, their UMA connection has only grown. In 2024, they welcomed their first child, Jacqueline, who was born on their wedding anniversary!

Today, Josh works in IT, and Mary runs the family insurance company, Spieldenner Financial Group. Looking back, they credit UMA not just for their degrees but for strengthening their bond.

“UMA really brought us much closer together and helped cement our relationship,” they shared. “It's said that relationships last when you can successfully work on a project together, and UMA was that project for us.” ❤️

Do you know of a UMA Moose Match? Share your story!
🔗https://forms.gle/SiZE2zZXhD6rvj6P6