Sakina Saidi ’26 isn’t one to be told “no,” and that can-do spirit has brought her from her homeland in Afghanistan, to Pakistan, where she lived as a refugee, and eventually right here to Lewiston, Maine. According to her, it all started with something we’ve all felt: the desire to play. 

Sakina grew up in soccer territory and loved it from the beginning. “I was this one weird girl among all the boys watching football.” While she was welcomed to watch, there was nowhere for her to play. For girls like Sakina, obstacles that stood in the way included both cost and distance to a full-size soccer field. “I couldn’t take the risk of taking people’s daughters all the way there just to practice for 90 minutes and then come back every single day.” Sakina didn’t let that stop her. She helped found the Lightning Ladies, a women’s futsal team. Futsal is like soccer, but with half the number of players on half of a soccer field.

While the Lightning Ladies didn’t have much in the way of a budget, they did have Sakina’s determination. She found a volunteer coach who connected them to the national team for additional resources. They worked hard, practiced often, and went on to win every tournament they played. But the Lightning Ladies would soon face a challenge they couldn’t overcome — on Aug. 15, 2021, the Taliban resumed control of Kabul and reinstituted strict gender segregation. Sakina, and many of the other Lightning Ladies, were forced to flee Afghanistan. 

While living as an undocumented refugee in Pakistan, Sakina helped shine a light on the realities of life in Kabul by working as a translator for an Al-Jazeera documentary about the conflict in Afghanistan. This job came at great personal risk, because of her precarious legal status. “It was a really intense situation for all of us,” she recalls. “Because we were undocumented refugees, we were continuously hiding from the police. We all had to live in one hotel room at a time.” 

Balancing the demands of her work and studies with the challenges of her daily life, Sakina became the primary communicator for her family as the only one fluent in Urdu. “It was just really scary and really exhausting. We had no idea what was going to happen to us.” Despite these daunting circumstances, her decision to join the documentary team was driven by a deep commitment to bringing the stories from her homeland to a global audience. “I wanted to raise my voice and show the world what’s going on in my country,” she explains. 

Sakina brings this care for advocacy with her to the �ֲ���ý campus, sustained by connection to her roots. Her older sister graduated from �ֲ���ý and lives in Auburn, so Sakina is never far from a comforting meal. “I am very lucky because my siblings are living just 10 minutes from here. Sometimes I just want to eat something from back home and my sisters can cook it.”

This fuels her work with the Student Center for Belonging and Community, which nominated her for the Civic Agency Fellowship. The fellowship allows student leaders to “spend their time on projects to support students’ full participation in the decisions, systems, and processes that impact their lives and communities.” 

Student clubs are an important part of how Sakina, who is a double major in mathematics and physics, has connected community engagement and academics. Inspired by the Astronomy Club’s plan to travel to northern Maine for last April’s total solar eclipse, Sakina has applied her skills in robotics to create an innovative way for people to experience the eclipse through sound.

Her project is inspired by The LightSound Project at Harvard, which first developed devices for the Blind and Low Vision (BLV) in 2017, and aims to convert light into auditory signals, allowing those who are visually impaired or whose prevent them from looking at the eclipse, like her fellow club member from the Navajo Nation, to share in the awe of this natural event. “If they can’t see the eclipse they can hear it!” Sakina’s project demonstrates a profound commitment to inclusivity and accessibility, underscoring her dedication to expanding the ways in which we experience and share the world.

When Jett Lindelof ’27 was 11 years old, he entered the industrious, and sometimes territorial, world of lobstering on the coast of Maine. “I was looking for a summer job, and someone asked if I wanted to try lobstering with them so I said, ‘OK.’ I found I really liked it.” 

He began by venturing out on the boat of an experienced lobsterman, eventually applying for his student lobstering license, which allows him a limited number of traps he can set and lobsters he can catch. “I loved working out on the water,” says Jett, who is also an avid sailor.

Jett has experienced the booms in the lobster industry, but the decline of the annual lobster harvest in recent years is something he is well aware of, and it has inspired his studies at �ֲ���ý. “The southern New England lobster industry has collapsed as the ocean has warmed, and the waters off Maine logged the second-warmest year on record in 2022,” he said. As waters warm, lobster populations decrease, threatening the livelihood of those who have made a living in the industry for generations.

Jett is from Belfast, Maine. He attended Islesboro Central School in Islesboro with a graduating class of just seven students. Although he was expecting �ֲ���ý to feel bigger having come from Isleboro, whose winter population is close to 500, he enjoys the tight-knit community at �ֲ���ý. “It’s been a good experience to try something new.” Maine is important to him, but he is grateful for the chance to encounter the wide ranging backgrounds of his �ֲ���ý classmates. “Islesboro is pretty small, so it’s very community oriented, and I’ve experienced a similar small community feel here as well. The �ֲ���ý community is great.”

Since venturing onto the lobster boat seven years ago, Jett and his brother have expanded beyond lobstering into aquaculture — farming in water. “So now we’re growing oysters. We started that two years ago and we’re in the process of diversifying into kelp as well.” 

Through the state they lease sections of waters ranging from six feet to 30 feet, where they can grow and harvest their crop, all while contributing to the quality of local waters. Oyster farming has risen in popularity over the years due to its benefits to consumers, farmers, and the ocean. “Oysters are filtering phytoplankton and excessive nutrients out of our waterways, so they’re basically making clean water cleaner.”

While at �ֲ���ý, Jett has been able to further his interest in aquaculture and marine science while also exploring new interests. The classes he has taken include subjects such as economics, environmental science, marine science, and music. “[My classes] have definitely sparked my interest in going more into aquaculture. It seems like the future of the marine industry in a way.” 

One of Jett’s favorite courses at �ֲ���ý so far was “Climate Solutions Workshop,” offered last Short Term by the Department of Earth and Climate Sciences. Including lab work and field trips to learn about weather patterns, soil samples, and how to investigate current topics in global change, “it was very hands-on, which I enjoy,” says Jett. The EACS department as a whole emphasizes the significance of communication, teamwork, and practical, hands-on learning in various settings, including the field, laboratory, and classroom. In their courses, students collaborate with peers, faculty, and community partners to address fundamental questions and tackle real-world challenges.

Jett envisions a future for himself on the Maine coast, where he plans to deepen his commitment to both his businesses and his passion for the ocean. Drawing inspiration from the rugged coastline and rich maritime heritage of his home state, Jett dreams of creating a thriving enterprise that not only contributes to the local economy but also promotes environmental stewardship. Jett looks forward to contributing to the community that has shaped him, all while enjoying the beauty and unique character of his home state.

If you’ve ever met Claire Barlass ’25, a senior from Duluth, Minn., you would understand her answer to the question, “Why �ֲ���ý?”  “I love the snow,” she told us, “I was following the snow east.” 

If there’s anything Claire likes more than snow, it’s probably math. Her love of the subject started in fourth grade, when her math teacher recognized that she and a few classmates had progressed beyond the assigned curriculum. 

“So we had a hallway class with our teacher. He helped me realize I was capable of doing whatever I wanted to do,” recalls Claire. Years later, she often has lunch with her former teacher when she’s home. 

A feeling of capability is what Claire is helping to instill in fellow �ֲ���ý students as a tutor at the Peer Learning Center (PLC), which plays a critical role in fostering a holistic, person-centered academic environment. “�ֲ���ý has done a great job of destigmatizing needing help,” she says. “Going into the PLC doesn’t mean you’re a bad student. Even I, a tutor, will go to the PLC for help.” For Claire, confidence is a big part of the equation, and the center helps students build that confidence, especially in subjects like calculus that can seem daunting at first.

Helping to build the confidence of others has also shaped Claire’s leadership role in the �ֲ���ý Outing Club (BOC), where she’s part of a larger effort to make outdoor activities more accessible and inclusive for all students. “The outdoor industry is horribly exclusive,” she observes, but through structured trips and supportive leadership, Claire and the BOC are opening up these experiences to those who might not have been exposed to them before.

Claire’s path at �ֲ���ý has been characterized by her willingness to embrace challenges, whether in the classroom, the outdoors, or in her pursuit of medicine as a double major in mathematics and biochemistry. “I like working in high-stress situations. I love being constantly stimulated,” she says, reflecting on her decision to join the �ֲ���ý Emergency Medical Service (BEMS). 

Since its founding by �ֲ���ý students in 1995, BEMS has become an integral part of supporting the well-being of the campus community while simultaneously training and inspiring students to provide life-saving medical care. BEMS has been a vital part of Claire’s own journey, helping her realize she’s capable of much more than she initially imagined.

“My first call was terrifying. With anything, going into a new space where you’re inexperienced can be terrifying. It’s terrifying to not feel qualified in what you’re doing. Feeling qualified comes from experience,” she explains.

Claire’s commitment to stepping outside her comfort zone doesn’t stop with academics or EMS. Last semester, she realized she had become complacent, living in what she calls a “comfort bubble.” To break free, she decided to study abroad in Kenya, an experience that would challenge her in ways she hadn’t anticipated. “The hardest thing was that I was very clearly an outsider,” she recalls. 

After the program ended, Claire and a friend climbed Mount Kenya, a journey that culminated in what she describes as “the most beautiful sunrise of my life.” For Claire, outdoor activity isn’t just important — it’s essential to her sense of self.

As Claire enters her final year at �ֲ���ý, she reflects on a journey marked by both academic and personal growth. Whether in the mountains, the classroom, or in her relationships, Claire has learned that true growth comes from stepping into the unknown, embracing discomfort, and trusting in the process. 

“We’re more than just our grades at �ֲ���ý. We don’t talk about our rankings. We talk about what we love about what we’re learning.” For Claire, the pursuit of what she loves has always been about reaching new heights, one challenging step at a time.