The final month of the academic year begins with students wielding rakes and radar, and ends with fist pumps, Ferragamos, and farewells. The crescendo of Commencement arrives and passes, followed by time for respite and rejuvenation. But before the curtain rises once again, and before the next story unfolds, enjoy this month at �ֲ���ý.

Discovery in Process

Caroline Friedman ’25 (center) of Mercer Island, Wash., and Will Morris ’27 (right) of Wayland, Mass., operate a Ground Penetrating Radar device on May 1 along Alumni Walk as Assistant Professor of Earth and Climate Sciences Shreya Arora (left) watches their progress.

The GPR device does what its name suggests, using radar pulses to create images of subsurface features. On this day, the students were investigating the location of underground storage space beneath Alumni Walk, created when Lane Hall and the bygone Maintenance Center were built during the 1960s.

The students were part of Arora’s hands-on, outdoor-focused Short Term course that teaches the ins and outs of various technical equipment, and how mastering equipment can help critical thinking, problem-solving, and employability. 

Ink, Press, Joy

From canvas totes to tank tops, creativity was in full swing at the annual Free Press printmaking event held outside Commons on May 7.

Participants used a variety of stamps, all created by �ֲ���ý student artists, rolled the stamps in ink, and then felt the simple joy of pressing ink onto fabric — no experience required. The event was sponsored by the Multifaith Chaplaincy and organized by Multifaith Fellows Jilly Scott-Lewis ’27 of Portland, Ore., Rosina Makwabe ’26 of Arusha, Tanzania, and Hana Roggendorf ’27 of West Hartford, Conn.

Rake Break

“The best part of Short Term is that we get to work with our friends in Facility Services who are amazing and some of the best people I know on this campus,” said Jonah Yaffe ’26 of Dallas, a gardening assistant for the Facilities Services grounds crew, hard at work beautifying the campus ahead of Commencement and Reunion.

Yaffe, photographed in the vicinity of Chase Hall working with fellow student to seed and plant new flowers, took a moment to display his talent at balancing a rake on his nose.

Hopping into Earth Day

The annual Short Term Earth Day barbecue was in full flight as George Fauver ’26 of Bedford, N.Y., leapt over Tommo White ’25 of Duxbury, N.Y., during the May 14 celebration.

Held outside Commons and sponsored by Sustainable �ֲ���ý and Dining Services, the event featured local food, solar smoothies, bike repair, live music, and plenty of springtime energy.

Softball Sendoff

With joy and flair, �ֲ���ý softball celebrated Senior Day in early May prior to a doubleheader against Tufts. The team honored its senior Bobcat, Grace Householter (No. 13) of Manhattan Beach, Calif., with a spirited team photo complete with this uplifting moment.

Heart of the Stone

E.J. Holm ’25 of Hamilton, N.Y., tried their hand at masonry during the installation of the Class of 2025 ivy stone by campus mason Ron Tardif.

Holm designed this year’s stone — a stylized map of downtown Lewiston–Auburn with a heart marking �ֲ���ý’ location — as a tribute to both the college and the community the class has called home. “The stone represents a connection to place that I found in my time at �ֲ���ý,” says Holm.

‘No Easy Feat’

With a celebratory point and a smile, Uche Anyanwu ’25 of Brooklyn, N.Y., marked the binding of his senior thesis on the steps of Coram Library.

An economics major known on campus as Uche the Chompman — DJ, producer, and artist — Anyanwu explored the economic impact of entertainment and media across Sub-Saharan Africa. The project, he says, “was no easy feat.”

�ֲ���ý Fulbright Five

Seven young alumni earned Fulbright Student grant offers for 2025–26, including these five members of the Class of 2025, who gathered on Alumni Walk three days before graduation.

From left, Maple Buescher of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Maddy Kwei of Pasadena, Calif., Charles Breyfogle of Columbus, Ohio, Claire Bohmer of Steamboat Springs, Colo., and Wes DeOreo of Westport, Conn. 

Joining these five as Fulbright Student award recipients are recent grads Emma Seitz ’25 of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Helena Raddock ’24 of Warren, Vt. 

�ֲ���ý has been a Top Producer of Fulbright Student awards for 14 years.

Showcase Sweatshirts

Angel Huntsman ’27 of Harpswell, Maine, and Graca Bila ’28 of Westbrook, Maine, wear sweatshirts that celebrate their Short Term course with Assistant Professor of Psychology Elena Maker Castro.

Castro and her students worked together to redesign her “Educational Psychology” course, making suggestions for course materials, assessments, and engagement strategies.

The students wore the shirts during the annual Short Term Showcase, a presentation session where students share findings and progress from two groups of courses, Short Term Innovative Pedagogy and Practitioner-Taught Courses.

Past, Present, and Future

Students in Visiting Assistant Professor of History Janice Levi’s Short Term course “Mobile Histories: Transmitting the Past in Africa and the African Diaspora,” hear from guest speakers Fowsia Musse, a leader and health advocate in the Lewiston community, and Yun Garrison, assistant professor of psychology.

The course explored how people remember their pasts when forced into exile. Specifically, the courses looked at examples of African communities under duress due to climate change, political oppression, and religious persecution. 

Granny’s House

For four years, Jose Carmona ’25 of Chicago has made the short walk from campus to visit Carmen Thibodeau, the Lewiston grandmother he gained through a bond that began more than a decade ago with his older siblings and the Thibodeau family. 

With hugs, shows, snacks, and sage advice, Carmen helped make �ֲ���ý — and Maine — feel like home for every Carmona who passed through. “Some of my friends know she’s not my actual grandma,” says Jose. “Others just say, ‘You going to Granny’s?’”

Tuck Time

From left, Roan Hopkins ’27, Hope Seketa ’25, Jack Kingsley ’28, and Willa Laski ’26 review their final presentations for the inaugural “Tuck Business Essentials” Short Term course in late May.

Sponsored by the Center for Purposeful Work, the skills-focused course was taught by faculty of Tuck Business School at Dartmouth and led by Peter Friedman ’92, a Tuck graduate who served as the course’s practitioner-in-residence.

Learning all about data analytics and business intelligence were two “big themes” for the internship, said Laski, while gaining an appreciation for a liberal arts education in business added even more value.

“Tuck taught me the value of embracing a liberal arts background when approaching business ideas. The interpersonal skills that come with a �ֲ���ý education have really come into play.”

One Last Huddle

During the annual Farewell Celebration for Seniors and Faculty, Daniel Snider ’25 (center, in green cap) and his Orange Whip teammates took a moment to watch the Division III Ultimate championship.

Snider, who won this year’s Donovan Award, Ultimate’s highest honor for skill, spirit, and leadership, reveled in the evening’s laughter, gratitude, and connection, both with his classmates and his professors.

“This event was special,” said Snider, a French and Francophone major from Belfast, Maine, “because we were able to be around each other as friends, rather than just as students and professors. Saying goodbye isn’t easy — but I’m grateful for everyone who made �ֲ���ý such a meaningful place.”

Peace Through Action

Axelle Tougouma ’27 of Fada N’Gourma, Burkina Faso, received a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant to install a solar-powered irrigation system and provide agricultural training for Burkinabé women refugees in Ivory Coast.

A double major in mathematics and economics, Tougouma is using her analytical skills and passion for service to address food insecurity and support economic independence. “My way to contribute to peace is through humanitarian action,” she says.

Honors and Celebration

Eliza Skillings ’25 of North Yarmouth, Maine, and Maria McEvoy ’25 of Missoula, Mont., react to a slideshow during the Honors Program Celebration Banquet on May 7. Held in Commons, the event recognized students who completed honors theses, and their faculty mentors, with heartfelt remarks, shared stories, and well-earned celebration.

Introduced by Professor of Philosophy David Cummiskey, Kate Fetrow ’13, offered the keynote. 

A double major in philosophy and politics at �ֲ���ý who earned a law degree from Stanford Law School, Fetrow is now with the New York Legal Assistance Group, a leading civil legal services organization, where she litigates structural reform cases on behalf of people experiencing economic hardship.

Stones in Spring

More than 130 ivy stones, dating back to the Class of 1879, dot buildings around campus, with a new stone added each year. Above are two stones found on the side of Hathorn Hall, the oldest building at �ֲ���ý.

High Five for ’25

Christine Schwartz, associate vice president for dining, conferences, and campus events, and James Reese, associate dean of students for international student programs, touch hands as they greet each other during the senior class photo on May 23 in Underhill Arena.

As two of the many behind-the-scenes Commencement organizers, they helped guide the Class of 2025 into formation — literally — for a 2025 group photo, followed by a champagne toast.

Evening Honors

Students from the Class of 2025 were inducted into honor society Phi Beta Kappa during a ceremony in Olin Arts Concert Hall.

Fifty-eight students out of the 405 participating in Commencement this year were selected to join the prestigious organization, which is the country’s oldest academic honor society.

Starr Power

Starr Bradley ’25 reacts during a recognition and celebration dinner sponsored by the college’s Student Center for Belonging and Community in Gray Athletic Building.

A psychology major from Houston, Bradley became a dedicated youth mentor at �ֲ���ý. She served as a Community Outreach Fellow for the Harward Center for Community Partnerships and coordinated programming for Tree Street Youth’s girls empowerment program in Lewiston.

In Celebration

Family, loved ones, friends, and supporters of the Class of 2025 gather on the Historic Quad for Baccalaureate on May 24.

Presidential Pose

, Risa Sood Horiuchi ’25 of Queens, N.Y., poses with President Garry W. Jenkins and Raymond Clothier, interim multifaith chaplain.

During the service, Horiuchi offered a tribute to parents, guardians, and supporters.

“Your love has held us through the lows, been with us through the highs, and stayed constant for every moment in between. We’re so proud to have you by our sides and are endlessly grateful for all that you are.”

Early and Elated

Joyful, photo-ready, and dressed in white with garnet �ֲ���ý stoles, . Why so early? “These are the best friends I’ve had in my life,” said Hayden Eckblom ’25, an earth and climate sciences major from Tolland, Conn. “I don’t want to forget them.”

Earned Not Bought

On Commencement morning, mathematics major Jamil Mouehla ’25 of Harrington Park, N.J., wore these Ferragamo loafers, not for their label but for their legacy. A gift from his older brother, they symbolize the family’s values of effort and perseverance. “These shoes were not bought but earned,” says Mouehla. “And I can walk in these shoes as my brother did.”

Ceremonial and Personal

Professor of French and Francophone Studies Mary Rice-DeFosse carries the college mace during Commencement on May 25, 2025. Accorded to the senior member of the �ֲ���ý faculty, the role is a high ceremonial honor and, judging by her smile, also high personal joy.

Fist Pump Finale

Economics major Hope Seketa ’25 of East Amherst, N.Y., gives a triumphant fist pump as she and other graduates accept congratulations of �ֲ���ý faculty members during the Commencement recessional.

Float Like a Tribute

Event participants react to the unveiling of a 10-foot bronze statue of Muhammad Ali in downtown Lewiston that honors the city’s connection to Ali’s 1965 “Phantom Punch” victory. 

Positioned on Main Street near the bright and colorful Hopeful sculpture, the statue represents the “loud, proud, strong, resilient” spirit of Lewiston, said Maine Gov. Janet Mills, seen in a tan raincoat exuberantly gesturing at the statue.

Among the speakers during the May 31 event were President Garry W. Jenkins (second from left) and Ilyas Bashir ’25 (far left), a newly minted �ֲ���ý grad and former Golden Gloves champion. “Ali showed us that the fight is bigger than the ring…. That’s why this statue matters, especially to kids in our community who can look up at Ali and see that greatness starts right where we stand.”

Quiet and Reflective

A few days after Commencement and the final departure of students, empty Adirondack chairs on the quiet Historic Quad welcome summer visitors to sit for awhile.

Paul’s Pride

Director of Campus Safety Paul Menice smiles while being recognized for his 35 years of work at the college. A familiar �ֲ���ý presence since he arrived from Curry College in 1989, Menice has led Campus Safety for five years.

The day-long retreat for the staff of the college’s Student Affairs division included conversations, activities, and remarks from President Garry W. Jenkins and Vice President for Student Affairs Rosanna Ferro.

Gonzo Comes to �ֲ���ý

Sadie Williams, daughter of famed artist Ralph Steadman and managing director of the Ralph Steadman Art Collection, reacts to Vintage Dr. Gonzo, a life-size bronze sculpture inspired by Steadman’s longtime collaborator, Hunter S. Thompson. 

The piece is among more than 149 objects in the current �ֲ���ý Museum of Art exhibition, Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing, that deftly capture Steadman’s artistic practice.

“It provides an opportunity for everyone — from longtime fans to newcomers —to engage with Ralph Steadman’s incomparable works and experience the unique mind and defining style of such a pivotal creative in American culture,” said Samantha Sigmon, the assistant curator at the �ֲ���ý Museum of Art who has curated the exhibition.

April at �ֲ���ý arrives with light, with motion, and with meaning. Students dance through history and map the past. There are thesis toasts, moonrises, and moments — big and small — that remind us what it means to learn, to lead, and to belong to this community. Come see for yourself in this month at �ֲ���ý.

Moonlight Moment

The moon rises above Commons. April’s full moon is known as the Pink Moon, so named for pink creeping phlox wildflowers that bloom in early spring.

Sammy Weidenthal ‘27 of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, created this image from a composite of long exposure images taken just before clouds rolled in at mid-evening.

�ֲ���ý Beginnings: The Beginning

Leigh Weisenburger, vice president for enrollment and dean of admission and financial aid, welcomes prospective students and their families to campus during �ֲ���ý Beginnings, the college’s program for newly admitted students. 

Held twice each spring, the full-day event offers tours, classes, panels, information sessions, and conversations designed to give future Bobcats a taste of all that �ֲ���ý has to offer.

Poster Party

Sloan Philips ’25 of Evergreen, Colo., explains their poster at the Mount David Summit to President Garry W. Jenkins. Their senior thesis in biochemistry explores skin bacteria and associated risks of infection in humans.

“We shouldn’t take it for granted,” said Jenkins in his welcome remarks, referring to �ֲ���ý’ distinctive commitment to undergraduate, mentored research. “It’s unique, it’s special, and it’s worthy of celebration.”

Dancing through History

Students perform the dance En Route during the annual Marcy Plavin Spring Dance Concert, which honors the legacy of the founder of the �ֲ���ý dance program. 

The concert featured a range of repertory works reflecting a semester of creative exchange in two �ֲ���ý courses taught by Assistant Professor of Dance Tristan Koepke, “Dance Repertory” and “Repertory Styles,” in collaboration with �ֲ���ý Dance Festival artists-in-residence Gesel Mason, Lisa “MonaLisa” Berman and Joe “MN Joe” Tran of BRKFST Dance Company, and Christina Robson.

En Route, choreographed by Mason, was inspired by the Portland Freedom Trail, which highlights 13 key sites related to the Underground Railroad in Maine.

Four Ball

From left, Eli Criss ’25, James Sacco ’28, Eric Diop ’28, and Ben Adey ’25 warm up prior to the Bobcats’ match against Wesleyan in Merrill Gymnasium.

Have Your Cake and Read It Too 

Carina Plettenbacher (left) and Raluca Cernahoschi react to a cake by Sam Gamber ’25 of Marlborough, Mass., a recreation of the children’s book Llama Llama Red Pajama. Plettenbacher is a Fulbright teaching assistant in German for 2024–25 and Cernahoschi is an associate professor of German.

Map Magic

Anelise Hanson Shrout, associate professor of digital and computational studies and history, works with Avery Lehman ’25 (center) of Portsmouth, N.H., a studio art major and DCS minor, and Julia Roelofs ’26 (left) of Rye, N.H., an environmental studies major and DCS minor, in the course “Public History in the Digital Age.” 

A digital historian, Shrout is leading the class to create a map showing the development of Lewiston’s Lisbon Street from 1850 to 1940, including profiles of individuals who lived and worked in specific Lisbon Street buildings. 

�ֲ���ý Beginnings: The Middle

In a Hathorn Hall classroom, Mollie Woodworth, an assistant professor of neuroscience, leads a discussion on “the weird and wonderful neuroscience of the senses, from the tiny hairs in your ear that allow you to hear to the upside-down neuron relay in your eye that allows you to see.”

Woodworth’s pupils weren’t �ֲ���ý students — yet. Instead, they were prospective �ֲ���ý students on campus for the second of two �ֲ���ý Beginnings programs.

Launching a Love of Learning

At the annual Astronomy Extravaganza, Mikaila Whitaker Bennett ‘28 of Rowley, Mass., demonstrated the Doppler effect with a Nerf rocket, delighting young learners like 7-year-old Jorah Robbins. 

The community event, created in 2017 by Associate Professor of Physics Aleks Diamond-Stanic and deployed by students in his introductory astronomy course, featured dozens of interactive activities tailored to students from Lewiston and Auburn elementary schools, grades three through six.

Immersive Images

Assistant Professor of Music Asha Tamirisa listens during an artist talk in Chase Hall Lounge in early April.

The talk, whose attendees included students in her “Immersive Media Installation” course, was offered by guest artists Nadav Assor and Tirtza Even, whose multimedia exhibition Chronicle of a Fall was shown in the college’s Immersive Media Studio in Coram Library.

In the Studio

Lizi Barrow ’25 of Winchester, Mass., works on her paintings in her studio in Olin Arts Center. Barrow was among the seven senior studio art majors whose work was featured in the annual Senior Thesis Exhibition in the �ֲ���ý College Museum of Art.

Real Poet

Dana Professor of English and Africana Therí Pickens signs a copy of her recently published poetry collection, What Had Happened Was, during an event in Commons celebrating her new book and her appointment as a Dana professor. 

The event also included a Q&A moderated by Samaa Abdurraqib, executive director of the Maine Humanities Council, who asked Pickens if publication of her first poetry collection made her feel like a “real poet.” “Oh no, no,” Pickens said, laughing as she described opening the box of author copies. “I was screaming, running around the house being like, ‘I’m a real poet!’ It feels surreal actually.”

Tea with the President 

President Garry W. Jenkins was the featured guest for the ongoing Scholar Teas series. Interviewed by Associate Professor of Sociology Marcelle Medford, he shared the rich — and joyous — story of his journey as a legal scholar and his enthusiasm for and devotion to scholarship and the faculty side of academia.

Artist in Bloom

At the opening reception for the annual Senior Thesis Exhibition in the �ֲ���ý College Museum of Art, studio art major Danny Zuniga Zarat ’25 (left) of Houston, holding a bouquet of flowers given to each artist in the show, talks with Carolina González Valencia, associate professor of art and visual culture, one of this year’s faculty advisors to the studio art majors.

The Ava Equation

Facing Wesleyan, Ava Steinberger ’27 of Hockessin, Del., goes to the backhand during her doubles match with partner Ava Lyon ’25 of Naples, Fla.

Thesis Time

From left, seniors Sophia Ibeh, a biochemistry major from Houston, Darlene Igiraneza, a biology major from Glendale, Ariz., and Blessing Akinmade ’25 (right), a biochemistry major from Newark, N.J., celebrate their theses bindings with a spray of bubbly on the steps of Coram Library.

“After four years of working toward our majors together, spending late nights in Bonney covering boards full of equations, what was hard work is now a small picture of who we are, and a snippet of what college was to us,” said Akinmade. “I want to thank you guys for doing it with me and for being a part of me.”

Reigning on the River 

On a chilly and showery day, the men’s second varsity crew rows to victory in the 27th annual President’s Cup regatta on the Androscoggin River.

Welcoming Bowdoin, Colby, and the University of Maine, the regatta and festive moments off the water, including the christening of a new shell, The Cadillac, and a celebration of the 2015 NCAA champion women’s team.

�ֲ���ý Beginnings: The End

Associate Professor of Politics Clarisa Pérez-Amendáriz leads a �ֲ���ý Beginnings presentation and discussion titled, “What is Populism? Lessons from Latin America,” exploring the distinctive features of populist leaders, including those of the 1940s and 1950s, versus neo-populists of today, looking at populist leaders of Argentina, Mexico, and El Salvador.

Pérez-Amendáriz recently received the Kroepsch Award — �ֲ���ý’ highest honor for excellence in teaching. The current Kroepsch recipient, Associate Professor of Education Mara Tieken, says that Pérez-Armendáriz has great passion for what she teaches, rooted in deep respect for her students. “She treats them as worthy of her time and attention.”

Reading the Room

D.J. Mason ’28 of Naperville, Ill., reacts during a campus gathering in Commons celebrating the publication of What Had Happened Was, the debut poetry collection by Therí Pickens, and Pickens’ appointment as the Charles A. Dana Professor of English and Africana.

Victory, With a Family Assist

Olivia Joaquin ‘25 of Washington, D.C., shares a moment with her mother, Mary Joaquin, during Senior Day introductions at Garcelon Field for the women’s lacrosse team in early April.

Olivia was joined by her brother, Teddy (left), and her father, Alan (right). The Bobcats defeated Connecticut College, 18–11.

Breaking the Mold

“I love these pots,” says Britton Gorfain ’25 of New York City as he takes a closer look at what his friend Alex Provasnik ’25, a studio art major from Arlington, Va., created for the 2025 Senior Thesis Exhibition, featuring the works by this year’s seven studio art majors.

For her senior thesis, Provasnik unraveled expectations of “useful” pots, drilling holes into her ceramics, then entwining the holes with embroidery thread or yarn, turning traditional pots into hand-stitched landscapes.

From Archive to Interface

Becky Philips ’25 of San Francisco, Calif., stands beside a display for an interactive digital map tracing the history of downtown Lewiston’s Lisbon Street, 1850–1940.

The project, developed by students in the course “Public History in the Digital Age,” taught by Anelise Hanson Shrout, associate professor of digital and computational studies and history, made its soft launch in Pettengill Hall, where students presented their research and digital work to the campus community.

Welcome to the Show

Jack Margiloff ’26 of Rye, N.Y., has his eye on the ball during a game vs. Trinity College. The “Welcome to �ֲ���ý” banner in the background hangs above the entrance to Commons.

Coding the Way Forward

Barry Lawson (left), the Colony Family Professor of Digital and Computational Studies, works with Emily Mueller ’25 (center) of Alexandria, Va., and Fatina Mulumba ’25 of Yarmouth, Maine, as they present their final project in the course “Introduction to Web Development.”

The students developed and presented an interactive and algorithmic questionnaire to help current and prospective students understand pathways and options within the new DCS major.

Diving for the Cure

Center fielder Zariya Anderson ‘27 of Wayzata, Minn., makes a splendid diving catch during a 3–2 �ֲ���ý victory over Bowdoin. The team wore pink as part of a Strikeout Cancer Game sponsored by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

thROWback!

From left, Win Brown ’89, Graham Proud ’08, and Arnold Robinson ’87 enjoy the moment as they christen the new �ֲ���ý boat, The Cadillac, at the Traquina Boathouse in Greene following the President’s Cup regatta.

Founding members of �ֲ���ý rowing in the 1980s, Brown and Robinson have remained dedicated to the program — Brown’s daughter Kathryn ‘21 was a coxswain at �ֲ���ý — and were among a throng of Bobcat rowing enthusiasts on hand for this year’s President’s Cup, which included honoring the 2015 women’s team that captured the NCAA rowing title.

From buzzer-beaters and Broadway guests to sunlit praise on the Historic Quad, March offered moments of joy, reflection, and renewal. With every performance, project, and passing connection, students leaned into the turning season — ready for what’s next, but fully alive to what’s now.

Around the World in One Night

Students who attended and hosted the annual International Dinner pose for a group photo in Gray Athletic Building.

While new cohorts of students prepare and present dishes from around the world to the community each year, the decades-old tradition maintains continuity through James Reese, the longtime dean who supported the founding of the event by the International Club shortly after he arrived in 1977. 

Passing It Forward

A gathering of the �ֲ���ý Men’s Soccer Alumni Mentorship Program in Commons gave current Bobcats a chance to connect with soccer alumni to receive guidance, support, and a start on a path toward careers.

Bold in the Black Box

Kyle Woodworth ’25 (left) of Nova Scotia, Canada, and Kennedy Mathis ’27 of Brookline, Mass., act in Body Awareness, directed by Emma Seitz ’25 of Brooklyn, N.Y., for her senior thesis.

With humor, heart, and fearless honesty, she guided the tight-knit cast through a sharp, poignant exploration of intimacy, identity, and discomfort — all within the close quarters of the Martin Andrucki Black Box Theatre.

Says Seitz, “Discomfort with hard topics is the very reason we should see them on stage” — especially a stage on a college campus.

Doubles and Wins

Eric Diop ’28 of Roslindale, Mass., won his doubles and singles matches vs. Connecticut College in March.

Great Day, Big Wins

With fists raised and the Bobcat beaming beside him, President Garry W. Jenkins congratulated donors during the livestream that rolled throughout Great Day 2025, held on March 13.

This year, 2,499 donors gave a total of $1,247,332 to support the college — increased numbers on both fronts from 2024. The annual �ֲ���ý giving day is named after the famous �ֲ���ý cheer, “It’s a great day to be a Bobcat,” .

All in the Swing

Team captain Lizzie Frekko ‘25 of Lake Forest, Ill., rips a two-handed backhand during a singles match vs. Tufts in Merrill Gymnasium.

The Power of Memory

Amy Bradfield Douglass celebrates her appointment as Whitehouse Professor of Psychology with a talk in Commons. Douglass is a social psychologist who explores psychology and law, specifically eyewitness testimony, including how witness memory can be profoundly distorted by subtle interactions with other witnesses and investigators.

The work of supporting �ֲ���ý students, she says, “can range from helping a student accomplish their goal of speaking up in class more, to connecting them with a community partner to advance criminal justice reform, to preparing an honors thesis for publication.

“In all cases, having the opportunity to work closely with students is deeply meaningful.”

Taste, Told from Memory

Guest chef Susan Reid ’79 serves up her butterscotch apple oatmeal cookies during the lunch rush at Commons.

A cookbook author and former King Arthur recipe developer, Reid returned to �ֲ���ý for a three-day culinary residency with �ֲ���ý Dining Services featuring a seminar on differences between flour types (with warm, buttery biscuits on hand to illustrate her points, and in Commons, lunch service with recipes from what she calls her “idiot savant talent: I can taste something in my head and write you a recipe that will make that happen.”

New Turf, Same Game

Lefthander Christopher McGrail ’25 of Dedham, Mass., delivers a pitch during the Bobcats’ game vs. St. Joseph’s College. �ֲ���ý hosted the Monks on the new hybrid surface at Leahey Field, where turf covers the infield area and natural grass remains on the outfield.

Pitch Perfect

Ella Beiser ’25 of Chicago took top honors, and a big check for $15,000, at this year’s Bobcat Ventures pitch competition for her project, the Campus Reporting Network. Co-developed with Micah Clark Moody, a Ph.D. candidate at Northwestern University, the platform offers resources to empower student journalists to report on campus discipline systems with confidence and care.

Here, she accepts the check from judge Pranav Ghai ’93 as fellow judge Chris Barbin ’93 addresses the audience; also serving as a judge was Benjamin Schippers ’04.

The Bobcat Ventures judges were so impressed that they awarded the entire prize pool to a single pitch for the first time in the competition’s decade-long history.

Garcelon on the Go

Lauren Wong ’26 of Walpole, Mass., moves past a defender during �ֲ���ý’ women’s lacrosse game vs. Plymouth State at Garcelon Field. Wong contributed three goals and an assist in the team’s  21–9 win.

Science with a Welcome

From left, April Horton, who is the Wagener Family Professor of Equity and Inclusion in STEM, Nora Gilmer ’28 of Fairfax, Va., and Nisan Ozmert ’27 of Nicosia, Cyprus, speak with prospective students during the �ֲ���ý Beginnings program for newly admitted students. 

Joined by current STEM Scholars, Horton shared an overview of the STEM Scholars Program and led a tour of �ֲ���ý labs, giving students an inside look at how equity and excellence intersect in the sciences.

Kicking off with a greeting from �ֲ���ý President Garry W. Jenkins, �ֲ���ý Beginnings offers admitted students hands-on academic sessions, student panels, and interactive tours.

Under Pressure, She Delivers

Sophie Spolter ‘26 (No. 2) of Blacklick, Ohio, and Elsa Daulerio ‘26 of Auburn, Maine, celebrate the Bobcats’ 55–53 win over Southern Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Division III women’s basketball tournament in March.

Spolter’s basket with 10 seconds remaining — a layup as she fell to the ground — sealed the victory for �ֲ���ý. The Bobcats finished at 17–10 following a second-round loss to host Scranton the following day.

When Art Imitates Everything

Jack Hagan ’27 of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, playing Konstantin Gavrilovich Treplev, and Kirk Read, professor of French and francophone studies, as Pyotr Nikolayevich Sorin, act opposite one another in The Seagull, staged in Schaffer Theatre in March.

The play was guest directed by Joshua N Hsu. “There is an important, meta-theatrical aspect to The Seagull that I think is relevant for students who are creating art, for artists who are building something,” says Hsu, reflecting on the staying power of the Anton Chekhov play, which was originally staged in 1896.

Game On

Alison Montgomery, head coach of women’s basketball, flashes a double thumbs up as she and the team set off to Scranton, Pa., for the opening rounds of the NCAA tournament, which they participated in for the third time in the last four years. 

Singing in the Aisles

The Man-Ops (Manic Optimists for those not in the know) perform a cover of Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” in the iconic style of actor Tom Holland. The Man-Ops were among the five �ֲ���ý a cappella groups that performed in Gomes Chapel before an SRO crowd during Sex Week programming sponsored by Well-Being at �ֲ���ý.

 Sunbreak

As mid-March temperatures touched 60 degrees, Daquan Johnson ’27 (right) of Euclid, Ohio, called the respite from the snow “a great day to praise the Lord because we are all from different corners of the earth soaking in the sun in one location.”

Kicking off March break, Johnson played worship music, sitting in the sun on the Historic Quad, alongside Vera Song ’27 of Naperville, Ill., and other friends.

‘Across Common Grounds’

Assistant Professor of Dance Tristan Koepke choreographed and performed a multimedia dance piece with Shey ‘Rí Acu’ Rivera Ríos as part of the �ֲ���ý Museum of Arts “Across Common Grounds” exhibition.

“Across Common Grounds,” which closed March 15, was the first major exhibition at the museum organized by Assistant Curator Samantha Sigmon since she arrived in Maine from her home region of Northwest Arkansas in early 2023. It featured more than a dozen contemporary artists from “outside the center,” including Koepke.

“I came from generations of farmers, quilters, and builders,” Sigmon said of the exhibition. “Working in the arts away from international cities and art fairs made me feel passionate about contemporary art that isn’t often seen as part of the wider art world, or is, but is not interpreted regarding the context of rural cultural landscapes. I want folks to see that artists can create communities and engaging artworks in and about anywhere.”

Spring in Their Step

On the second day of spring, Xander Frey ’28 (facing camera) of Potomac, Md., celebrates his goal vs. Wesleyan with Jack Goldbach ’28 (No. 50)  of West Caldwell, N.J. That’s Riley McClure ’27 (right) of Georgetown, Mass., trotting over to join the fun.

Scene by Scene

In Chase Hall’s Skelton Lounge, Tony-nominated actor and playwright John Cariani (center) works with �ֲ���ý students in an acting master class taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater Sally Wood, offering physical prompts and improvisational exercises to the students.

Cariani was on campus during the month as a Learning Associate, and in addition to working �ֲ���ý students in both acting and playwriting classes, he gave a talk on March 17 about his love for theater and the opportunity it gives him to share stories from “unthought of” places such as rural Maine.

Wood is directing the , at Portland Stage, a story of intertwined teenaged and young adult lives in northern Maine. It opened in April and runs until early May in Portland. Cariani is best known for his first play, Almost, Maine, which is one of the most-performed plays in the world with nearly 6,000 productions to date.

Golden Moment

Max Cory ‘26 of Dublin, Calif., poses for a portrait in the Alumni Gymnasium trophy lobby with his championship trophy a few days after winning the100-yard freestyle at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships.

“It’s awesome,” he says. “It’s a career-defining swim for me, and it puts my name in the books, but more importantly, it’s going to garner more attention to �ֲ���ý as a program as a whole, to help it grow into something even greater, which I have got no doubt that it can be.”

February is the shortest month of the year, but you’d never know it based on the many photographs that populate the latest edition of This Month at �ֲ���ý. From screenings to snowstorms, from rituals to remembrances, we’ve taken the �ֲ���ý pulse — and now we share it with you.

Warm Drinks, Cold Nights

On a chilly Winter Carnival night, students gather at the Ronj, the student-run coffeehouse, for a showing of the animated comedy Happy Feet. Amid the cozy glow of the projector, folks celebrated the launch of a new turmeric latte, a warm, spiced drink that’s a fitting companion on a cold winter night.

Flowers on Ice

Women’s club ice hockey enjoyed Senior Night with a celebration of their five graduating team members — Julia White, Lydia Carlos, Miranda Eisenman, Olivia Hall, and April McCall — and a 3-2 win over the University of Maine.

On the Court

On Senior Day, the men and women’s squash teams honored seven graduating students, including Labeeb Ali ’25 of Plano, Texas, competing here vs. Colby at the �ֲ���ý Squash Facility.

Circle Up

Students in Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies Stephanie Pridgeon’s “Screening Citizenship: Jewish Latin American Film” course prepare to give presentations at the Maine Jewish Film Festival following the films Torah Tropical and the The Klezmer Project.

Students studied how films made throughout Latin America by Jewish directors explore issues of identity, belonging, immigration, and assimilation.

Crowd at the Chapel

The college’s five a cappella groups, including the Deansmen, performed to a packed audience in Gomes Chapel during Winter Carnival.

Governor Lights the Way

Despite windy conditions at the Maine State House in Augusta, Gov. Janet Mills and Ellie Schueler ’25 of Colorado Springs, Colo., manage to light the ceremonial torch for Winter Carnival.

While bad road conditions suspended the usual torch run back to �ֲ���ý, it re-emerged a few hours later, in time for students to use it to light the traditional bonfire for the Puddle Jump.

Sofa Studying

Aaron Martinez ’26 of Elmwood Park, Ill., studies in Perry Atrium, a campus crossroads filled with light and warmth, students collaborate, converse, and tackle projects.

Clearing Hurdles

At the Bobcat Tune-up meet, Seneca Moore ’27 of Holt, Mich., clears a hurdle on the way to winning the 60-meter hurdles finals and setting a �ֲ���ý event record of 8.23 seconds, a few hundreds of a second faster than the prior record — his own!

Lights, Fire, Action

The student-run Robinson Players put on a fiery production of Incendiary, presented in Gannett Theater. Synthetic fog posing as smoke from fires clouded the theater as the story of a pyromaniac fire chief falling in love with the detective investigating her fires unfolded onstage.

All Clear

Facility Services plows walkways on the Historic Quad after a snowstorm, clearing the way for students to navigate their way all over campus.

Exploring Eternity

In the Immersive Media Studio, dancers clad in white performed against a projection of shimmery hues and fiery colors the next during “My Love Is Like Eternity,” choreographed by dance major Lola Buczkowski ’25 of Jersey City, N.J., for her senior thesis.

Celebrating Black Life

Associate Professor of Sociology and Africana Marcelle Medford speaks during a gathering in Perry Atrium on the anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death, the second installment of the Africana program’s Celebrating Black Life and Legacy series.

Thirteen years having passed since Martin’s death, many current �ֲ���ý students are unfamiliar with the tragedy. In 2012, the unarmed 17-year-old Martin was shot and killed in Florida by a neighborhood watch coordinator, George Zimmerman. He was acquitted on all charges, sparking the founding of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Style on the Snow

Outing Club members participate in a Nordic ski relay race on campus during the Winter Carnival, each team clad in playful, themed outfits like this Stars and Stripes cowboy get-up. Other notable fashion choices included a neon leotard over leggings, a bath robe patterned with images of rubber ducks, and swimming goggles worn in lieu of ski goggles.

Cultivating Connection

Students from �ֲ���ý, Bowdoin, and Colby gather for the second annual Black Student Summit, hosted this year by the Student Center for Belonging and Community in Chase Hall.

The day kicked off with a student and alumni panel and included workshops covering burnout prevention, imposter syndrome, and Black masculinity, leading to deep conversations about identity, resilience, and self-care.

The Summit also included a Fireside Chat with student affairs leaders who offered insights on supporting Black students on campus and closed with a Black Student Union mixer and dance at the Benjamin E. Mays Center.

Wintering

The Historic Quad’s colorful Adirondack chairs await students who will rush over at the first sign of spring.

Team Spirit

Women’s squash player Tia Billimoria ’27 of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, cheers on her teammates during a match on Senior Day.

Icy Endeavors

Before you can have a Puddle Jump, you need a hole in the ice.

On the morning of Feb. 7, members of the �ֲ���ý Outing Club and college staff worked together to cut a hole in Lake Andrews’ six-inch ice, using chain saws and ice block tongs, and staying steady with ice cleats on their boots.

The Pros Are Back

Puddle Jump founders and 1978 classmates, from left, Lars Llorente, Chris Callahan, and Scott Copeland respond to the cheers of students and alumni as they kick off the 50th anniversary of the Puddle Jump on Feb. 7.

They warmed up before their jump in matching boxing robes and hats specially made and embroidered for the historic occasion.

Gather ‘Round

Seen from the upper windows of Pettengill Hall are the three stages of the Puddle Jump. At middle, student shuffle like penguins along the icy path toward their date with destiny. At right, students jump into the Puddle. Then comes the rush to the warmth of the bonfire, seen at top.

Ready to Throw

Marie-Ève Maillet ’28 of Saint-Antoine, Canada, executes one last rotation of her weight throw during the Bobcat Tune-up Meet on campus, ultimately placing second in the weight throw and shot put finals.

Making Splashes

Swimmers Sophia Clausman ’27 of Edina, Minn., and Elena Trundy ’28 of Bath, Maine, cheer on teammates competing in the annual CBB Meet against Colby and Bowdoin at Tarbell Pool.

Up-Close

Marc Begin II ’27 of Jacksonville, Fla., the 2024 NESCAC Men’s Basketball Rookie of the Year, drives to the basket during a game against Trinity in Alumni Gym.

Winter’s Fleeting Grip

Icicles close in on the entrance to Gray Athletic Building on a sunny, albeit cold, February day.

The inscription above the entrance is drawn from1 Corinthians 9:25-27, a modern translation being, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.”

The Seniors Take It All

Women’s basketball team captain Alexandra Long ’25 of Milton, Mass., accepts congratulations from teammates during Senior Day introductions prior to the Bobcats’ game vs. Tufts. Long led the team to a 62-46 victory.

Today, some 50 years after the first Puddle Jump, three of the event’s founders — Chris Callahan ’78, Scott Copeland ’78, and Lars Llorente ’78 — returned to campus to kick off this year’s edition.

They walked onto the Puddle and held hands at the edge of the hole in the ice on Lake Andrews. Callahan gave a kind of blessing, a sweet summing up of the enduring power of �ֲ���ý friendship: “Best buds for 50 years.” And in they went.

Selected from Mirror yearbooks, The �ֲ���ý Student, and, more recently, from the photography of �ֲ���ý Communications and Marketing, here’s an incomplete history of the event that began when four first-year students, on the night of St. Patrick’s Day in 1975, performed an act of simple silliness, later famously described as “exuberance at the end of a hard winter.”

St. Patrick’s Day, 1975

Approximate temperature: 28 degrees

The first Puddle Jump took place on the evening of St. Patrick’s Day, Monday, March, 17, 1975. While the Student reported that the weather was “extremely harsh,” the daytime temperature hit a mild 44 degrees, perhaps giving a bit of spring fever to the four founders, Christopher Callahan ’78, Scott Copeland ’78, Lars Llorente ’78, and Mark Stevens ’77. 

It was all about “exuberance at the end of a hard winter,” according to Callahan.

St. Patrick’s Day, 1977

Approximate temperature: 26 degrees

St. Patrick’s Day, 1978

Approximate temperature: 28 degrees 

St. Patrick’s Day, 1980

Approximate temperature: 40 degrees 

This photograph likely shows an emergent tradition of the Puddle Jump in the 1980s. Participants would gather in the basement of Smith South to hear a “Dip Master” — perhaps seen here — read from the Dip Book (which has been lost to history), which apparently had a letter from founder Scott Copeland as well as the names of Dip Masters past. 

St. Patrick’s Day, 1982

Approximate temperature: 28 degrees 

The front page of The �ֲ���ý Student of March 19, 1982, published two days after the Puddle Jump, curiously juxtaposed a story and photo of Elie Wiesel, who spoke in the Chapel the previous Monday evening, and two photos of the Puddle Jump.

St. Patrick’s Day, 1984

Approximate temperature: 30 degrees

St. Patrick’s Day, 1987

Approximate temperature: 25 degrees 

By the 1980s, the jump has settled into a familiar format for the era. Two students, positioned on either side of the small hole, literally dunk students into the puddle. That is, no jumping, just dipping. And, by the 1980s, the event was known as the “puddle jump.”

St. Patrick’s Day, 1993

Approximate temperature: 30 degrees with snow

By 1993, the tradition is now called an “obligatory rite of passage for every true �ֲ���ý student” in the caption of this photo taken by Alexis Gentile Comrack ’93.

St. Patrick’s Day, 1994

Approximate temperature: 24 degrees 

On March 18, 1994, The �ֲ���ý Student cleverly juxtaposed photographs of two �ֲ���ý traditions, “one academic and the other extracurricular; both are time honored.” 

On the left was Toby White ’94 submitting his 101-page interdisciplinary honors thesis, Quantum Conversations: Gender, Metaphor, and Privilege in Theoretical Physics, to Joyce Caron just before the 3 p.m. deadline on March 16.

The photo at right showed a student getting dunked into Lake Andrews during the Puddle Jump the next day.

Jan. 15, 2001

Approximate temperature: 14 degrees 

By the early 2000s, the Puddle Jump was a dual threat, offered on St. Patrick’s Day as well as during Winter Carnival.

The �ֲ���ý Student of Jan. 23, 2001, reported that “several hardy souls braved the icy waters of Lake Andrews…as a tradition of questionable sanity, the ‘puddle jump,’ was revived on opening night of Winter Carnival.”

St. Patrick’s Day 2001

Approximate temperature: 28 degrees 

A new trend in the new decade, one that would persist into the early 2010: naked jumpers.

Jan. 26, 2002

Approximate temperature: 37 degrees 

In 2002, The �ֲ���ý Student downvoted the January / Outing Club version of the jump.

Tim Ayers ’04 gave a jump-by-jump report of the January jump in The �ֲ���ý Student. “The pattern that jumpers followed was pretty much the same every time,” he wrote. “First, the jumper would strip to either a bathing suit, underwear, or in some cases, just a birthday suit. They would then proceed to hop up and down and swear rather loudly as they made their way across the snow toward the hole in the ice.

“The brave person would then take a deep breath and leap. It is expected that the jumper will fully submerge their head before pulling themselves out using the rope dipped into the water.

“One jumper, much to her dismay, fell back into the water three more times before finally climbing out. The thoroughly chilled �ֲ���ýie then ran to the bonfire where he or she would stand shivering, but not without a huge grin.”

Jan. 18, 2003

Approximate temperature: 12 degrees

Nearly two decades old, the Puddle Jump began to warrant historical treatment in The �ֲ���ý Student. A math-challenged story noted that the event began in the “late 1970s” and is now “at an estimated age of 35 years.”

In the story about that year’s event, Hannah Johnson-Breimeier ’06 gave an apt answer to why students do the Puddle Jump. “There’s a feeling of accomplishment,” she said.

March 5, 2004

Approximate temperature: 35 degrees 

With a high of just 9 degrees on Jan. 25, 2004, the Puddle Jump was postponed. Then it was postponed again when the Outing Club could not secure a permit for the bonfire (too windy).

The event finally went off in March, but was sparsely attended. The Student sounded a death knell. “The Puddle Jump used to be an anticipated event, where upwards of 100 people took a dip in the frozen puddle, with hundreds of others cheering.”

But in fact, the Puddle Jump was just enjoying a rebirth. This photo of the 2005 event, the first digital coverage of the event by �ֲ���ý Communications and Marketing, appeared in the Chronicle of Higher Education that year.

Jan. 21, 2006

Approximate temperature: 40 degrees 

The unseasonably warm 52-degree Puddle Jump Day on Jan. 21, 2006, made for record numbers at the Puddle Jump and one unexpected result. “Participation was high!” reported The �ֲ���ý Student. “Unfortunately, so was male nudity.”

Jan. 26, 2007

Approximate temperature: 40 degrees

While axes and ice augers were used for a number of years to create the hole, the Outing Club would ultimately turn to more powerful tools, like chain saws.

Jan. 18, 2008

Approximate temperature: 40 degrees

For many years, students would gather around the hole during the Puddle Jump, and jumping into the water was a pell-mell affair. Today, students gather along the walkway, and walk out in groups.

Jan. 23, 2009

Approximate temperature: 18 degrees

Jan. 22, 2010

BOC stalwart Dots Loopesko ’10 (center) gets a hand from fellow BOCer Jeremy Porter ’11 (left) as the Outing Club preps the jumping hole in 2010.

Approximate temperature: 31 degrees

Jan. 20, 2011

Approximate temperature: 26 degrees

The annual tradition earned some media attention off campus with a video of the Jan. 20, 2011, Puddle Jump featured in the Lewiston Sun Journal, and an unexpected shout out from the Vietnam news portal Zing. 

Jan. 17, 2012

Approximate temperature: 33 degrees

By the 2010, costumes were a solid part of Puddle Jump tradition, with students wearing everything from duck and mermaid costumes to the flags of their country of origin as capes.

Jan. 18, 2013

Approximate temperature: 15 degrees (Brrrrr!)

Jan. 17, 2014

Approximate temperature: 40 degrees 

Now retired, Jim Guzelian, the college’s enivornmental health and safety specialist — better known as “Safety Jim” — was a mainstay at the Puddle Jump, including helping students secure wood for the all-important bonfire.

Jan. 23, 2015

Approximate temperature: 29 degrees

Feb. 12, 2016

Approximate temperature: 17 degrees

The 2016 edition of the Puddle Jump featured some pond skimming.

Jan. 20, 2017

Approximate temperature: 36 degrees 

Jan. 26, 2018

Approximate temperature: 26 degrees 

Feb. 9, 2019

Approximate temperature: 32 degrees

From left, founders and 1978 classmates Scott Copeland , Chris Callahan, and Lars Llorente returned for the 2019 jump.

Jan. 31, 2020

Approximate temperature: 38 degrees 

January 2021

Not held due to COVID.

Feb. 11, 2022

Approximate temperature: 43 degrees 

Some facts from 2022:

• Hole dimension: 13 feet by 13 feet
• Cutting tool: 20-inch Makita chainsaw, handled by Jack Fruechte ’22 of Minneapolis
• Temperature: 43 degrees
• Wind direction and speed: South at 15mph
• Ice thickness: 6 inches, topped by another 6 inches of crusty snow

Feb. 10, 2023

Approximate temperature: 52 degrees

Feb. 9, 2024

Approximate temperature: 38 degrees

Feb. 7, 2025

Approximate temperature: 29 degrees

Llorente, Callahan, and Copeland respond to the cheers of current �ֲ���ý students, just before kicking off the 2025 edition of the long-running Puddle Jump today, Feb. 7. Well done!

Despite the chilly temperatures, we’ve had a warm start to the winter semester. Thesis bindings, invigorating sports matches, community events, and inspiring MLK Day events made January a month to remember. Take a look at some heart-“warming” moments in the latest edition of This Month at �ֲ���ý.

Thesis Takes a Bow

Ananya Rao ’25 (left), a triple major in environmental studies, politics, and theater from Bedford, N.H., gets a hug from her senior thesis advisor, Sally Wood, a visiting assistant professor of theater, during a thesis-binding ceremony on the steps of Schaeffer Theatre.

Rao’s acting-focused senior thesis included a role in Wolf Play, staged last fall. She was joined on the Schaeffer steps by her friend and fellow theater major Sophie Wheeler ’25 of Skowhegan, Maine, who directed Wolf Play for her directing-focused theater thesis. Wheeler is also majoring in rhetoric, film, and screen studies.

Thesis-binding ceremonies represent a “new” tradition over the last decade. Seniors take to public spots on campus, whether Coram Library terrace or the walkway in front of Hathorn, where they place a print copy of their completed thesis into a rigid black binder, as friends and faculty and staff gather around offering good cheer for a job well done.

First Day Feels

After breakfast, students file out of Commons in anticipation of their first day of winter semester classes, shortly before 8 a.m. on Jan. 8, 2025.

Back to �ֲ���ý

On the first day of the winter semester, Associate Professor of German Jakub Kazecki welcomes students to his course, “German Language and Culture,” in Roger Williams Hall.

Hitting the Books

From left, Sam Manogue ‘26 of Wynnewood, Pa., Lydia Frew ‘25 of Norwich, Vt., and Lilah Rousso ‘25 of London, England, catch up in Ladd Library on the first day of winter semester classes.

Fierce on the Court

�ֲ���ý women’s basketball guard Alexandra Long ’25 of Newtown, Pa., does what she does so well, blocking a shot as the Bobcats defeat Babson in Alumni Gym.

Long’s 55 blocked shots last year were the second-most in the NESCAC, behind only her teammate Elsa Daulerio ’26. The teammates are among NESCAC leaders in blocked shots again this year (Daulerio is third, Long 12th).

Winter Awakens

A sunrise casts a golden glow over the �ֲ���ý campus the first day of the winter semester.

Push and Pull

Students go through their workouts in Davis Fitness Center, located in Underhill Arena, one of two dedicated fitness and strength/conditioning facilities at �ֲ���ý.

“Working out is very therapeutic for me. I love coming to the gym because it’s a break after classes and a great chance to focus on me,” says Kyra Ong ‘26 of Kahului, Hawaii.

Teaching with Passion

Associate Professor of Education Mara Tieken, recipient of the 2024 Kroepsch Teaching Award, leads a discussion in her “Perspectives on Education” course in Pettigrew Hall. Students engage with foundational educational theories and their real-world applications.

Tieken was described by one former student “as a fantastic planner, a fierce advocate for education, [and] a compelling teacher, a mentor for those pursuing careers in education and those who are not.”

Focused and Fearless

Alec Spiro ’25 of Portland, Ore., defeated his Middlebury opponent in three games to earn a victory at the No. 1 top spot in the Bobcats’ lineup.

Reaching for the Sky

Aiden Habas ’28 of Hulmeville, Pa., peers into the spotting scope of the Stephens Telescope located atop Carnegie Science Hall on a night when Venus, Jupiter, Mars, and the waning gibbous moon appeared close together in the January sky over Lewiston. The viewing was sponsored by the �ֲ���ý Astronomy Club.

Victory Profile

Scarlett Hine ’28 of Bronxville, N.Y., reacts during her victory over her Hamilton opponent during the Bobcats’ 9-0 triumph at the �ֲ���ý Squash Center.

Connected Celebration

Kendall Jones ’25, a chemistry major from Plymouth, N.H., poses with her mom, Kristin Snow, on FaceTime, who had virtually joined her daughter’s thesis-binding ceremony on the Coram Library terrace.

“She was so supportive to me throughout the thesis process,” says Jones. “I called her all the time for advice and encouragement, so it was important to me that she got to see me bind the thesis.”

Also binding her senior thesis was Emily X. Huang ’25 of San Francisco, whose thesis explores the effects of music therapy on physiological markers of stress.

Weighty Matter

Matt Charpentier ’27 of Cape Neddick, Maine, competes in the weight throw during the �ֲ���ý Invitational in Merrill Gymnasium.

Model Research

Ryan Bavis, the Helen A. Papaioanou Professor of Biological Sciences at �ֲ���ý, poses in his Bonney Science Center office.

Bavis, with colleagues from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, is part of a multimillion-dollar research project that will tackle a subject that is notoriously difficult to study: sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS. Until now, scientists have not identified a reliable animal model to study SIDS. Bavis and his colleagues are aiming to change that.

Setting the Stage

Tyler Harper, Stephanie Pridgeon, and James Reese share a light moment while solving tech issues before a screening of Children of Peace and a follow-up discussion in Pettengill Hall on the day before Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Harper is an assistant professor of environmental studies, Pridgeon an associate professor of Hispanic studies, and Reese an associate dean of students for international student programs.

Unity in Celebration

At the �ֲ���ý President’s House, President Garry W. Jenkins hosted a dinner for students, faculty, staff, and visiting guests on the evening before Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Guests included keynote speaker Erica Chenoweth, members of the college’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Planning Committee, and student debaters from Morehouse College who traveled to �ֲ���ý to take part in the annual Benjamin Elijah Mays Debate with debaters from �ֲ���ý.

Movement in Reflection

The night before the full day of programming on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the �ֲ���ý community gathered in Gomes Chapel for the MLK Spoken Word Festival.

Misaki Fukushima, a Hirasawa Scholar from Tokyo, evoked the horrors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki through her performance, in which she danced to Beethoven’s sonata �ʲ��ٳ�é�پ���ܱ� and read a poem by a Japanese physician and survivor of the Nagasaki attack, Takashi Nagai.

“Although I am not from Nagasaki or Hiroshima, I grew up hearing stories of the devastation caused by atomic bombs,” says Fukushima, who hand-wrote the poem on Japanese paper and carried it in the form of an origami crane throughout her dance to symbolize peace.

“As an artist, I often feel powerless to directly impact immense issues like war and peace. However, through dance, I can empathize with the suffering of others and convey those emotions.”

Honoring the Dream

Erica Chenoweth, an expert on nonviolent protest who gave this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. keynote address in Gomes Chapel, listens to a speaker’s introduction.

‘The Greatest Form of Black Resistance’

“I just love talking about rich Black folks,” quips Andrew Goddard ’27 of Enfield, Conn. as he presents the history of the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Okla.

Through the early 1900s, the Black neighborhood became famous for its economic prosperity — then became infamously known for being destroyed by a white mob over just two days of murder and mayhem in 1921.

Goddard’s presentation grew out of a project he completed last fall for the course “Black Resistance from the Civil War to Civil Rights,” taught by Frances Bell, a visiting assistant professor of history. “I thought about the concept of Black wealth,” he says.

“I concluded that garnering capital in a nation where our ancestors were once viewed as capital may be the greatest form of Black resistance possible under capitalism.”

Championing Dialogue

A workshop focused on “Building Bridges for Healing” offers restorative justice exercises. Andrew Forsthoefel, the restorative practice systems specialist with the Cumberland County Public Health Department, guides workshop attendees through a restorative justice circle practice.

Debating the Issues

�ֲ���ý debater Ari Hahn ’27 of Carbondale, Colo., and Morehouse College debater Quentin Davis of South Orange, N.J., chat and strategize during the annual Benjamin E. Mays Debate, held in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall.

This year’s topic was “Resolved: Law and order exists for the purpose of establishing justice.” It drew from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” in which King decried the inaction of the country’s faint-hearted “white moderates” who professed allegiance to the civil rights movement yet seemed to prefer inaction to action.

Mays, a 1920 �ֲ���ý graduate, was a longtime Morehouse College president known as the “Schoolmaster of the Movement” for mentoring Martin Luther King Jr. and other future civil rights leaders.

Fearless on the Floor

Peter Psyhogeos ’26 of Cumberland Foreside, Maine, dives for a loose ball during the men’s basketball team’s game vs. Colby.

Full Speed Ahead

Alannah Ardrey ’27 of Absecon, N.J., strides out during her approaches to the long jump during the �ֲ���ý Invitational at Merrill Gymnasium. 

Swimming Seniors

Teammates cheer on Stephanie Tropper ’25 of Solon, Ohio, prior to a Senior Day meet vs. the University of New England and Maine Maritime Academy at Tarbell Pool.

Making a Splash

From left, Marrich Somridhivej ’26 of South Windsor, Conn., Nate Oppenheim ’28 of Easton, Conn., and Tim Johnson ’27 of Brewster, Mass., cheer the fourth member of their 400-yard medley team, Max Cory ’26 (in the water) of Dublin, Calif., after the foursome took first place and sett new school and pool records with their time of 3:15.75. vs. Tufts University.

Gliding into the Night

�ֲ���ý students take over the ice at The Colisée in Lewiston for a night of skating, laughter, and Winter Carnival fun in late January.

Strength in Motion

Seniors Ava Lyon of Naples, Fla., and Drew Williams of Guilford, Conn., bring good cheer to local children during National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Feb. 2, 2025.

The event, held in the Gray Athletic Building, introduced young athletes to various sports through interactive drills and games.

Many of the 20 photos in this year’s edition of �ֲ���ý Photographers’ Favorites made the cut for self-evident reasons, like how they capture intimate moments of friendship, the intensity of athletic competition, or soothing nature. 

Some come to the list, our 11th annual, a bit sideways.

Director of Photography and Video Phyllis Graber Jensen earned her first �ֲ���ý photo credit 30 years ago. For her, seeing a surprise through the viewfinder, like a U.S. Naval Academy officer standing at attention during a �ֲ���ý squash match, yielded one of her favorite photographs of the year.

For multimedia producer Theophil Syslo, a photograph can be a favorite mistake, such as the unexpected result of trying to create an abstract moment from a fireworks show.

Combined, their perspectives and talents create this surprising, imperfect, and ultimately human visual presentation of what we love about our college and community.

Love Letter to Lewiston

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

Early in August, I traversed downtown Lewiston — my hometown for the last 32 years — to photograph the visual explosion of public art on display. Some of what you see these days has been created through commissions to well-known artists such as muralist Arlin Graff or sculptor Charlie Hewitt. Other artwork, like painted utility boxes, reflects homespun community spirit. 

Whatever the art or artist, you’ll be tempted to stop in your tracks — as I was when I noticed this pedestrian as she bopped her way past Co-Lab Create, a communal art space on Lisbon Street. In her step, I see energy and optimism. The building’s exterior artwork was created by muralist ​​Jared Goulette, who blended between 20 to 30 colors, “playing with the liquid,” to create “A Splash of Color,” 20 feet tall by 50 feet long. Just another one of the many reasons to love Maine’s second-largest city and all that it offers.

Hands-On Defense

Theophil Syslo says:

Sports action shot. Stop action. Heads up. Tight/telephoto. A �ֲ���ý women’s basketball defender goes for the ball but grabs a head — a swing and a miss. I wish I could remember if this was called a foul or not.

Either way, it’s a great demonstration of why you aren’t allowed to wear jewelry like face or nose rings in basketball — this could be a much fiercer and bloodier photo. The number one reason I chose this photo as a favorite this year is because it reminds me of being a kid and making funny faces by distorting my nose with my fingers. It makes me giggle.

One for the Books

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

After years of wonderful opportunities to photograph arts performances in various campus stages and performance spaces, a new possibility surfaced: the high-tech Immersive Media Studio, known as the IMStudio, a space in Coram Library designed for interdisciplinary multimedia projects.

This image presents a moment during a “durational exhibit,” during which viewers could come and go, called Beyond Midnight by faculty members Michel Droge, Carolina González Valencia, and Asha Tamirisa.

The captivating, dream-like 30-minute experience used undersea footage captured during an expedition off Costa Rica that Droge joined as a visiting artist. Droge, partially illuminated in this image, sits in the shadows beside a colleague, Museum of Art Director Dan Mills, as faculty and students danced in silhouette.

The picture I made felt truly collaborative. What a treat to witness such visual richness and imagine the potential for all kinds of artistry and performance in this new space on campus.

Sparking the Imagination

Theophil Syslo says: 

This could be a fun exercise in “caption that photo.” Taken through the vertical blinds of an Olin Arts Center window, this photo is my attempt at abstracting the Reunion fireworks display over Lake Andrews using light reflections in the window.

The abstraction makes me wonder: Am I looking through the James Webb Space Telescope at black holes, or am I looking under a microscope at red blood cells? Inner space or outer space — either way, it’s reflective and makes you wonder about past and future.

An Uncommons Moment

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

Anyone who spends time in Commons knows there are the quiet times and the not-so-quiet times. After working on a day-in-the-life feature, where we spent up to 18 hours documenting staff, faculty, students, and others using the building, this photograph stood out to me.

As Dining Services staff members Diana Mba Oyana (left) and Sonia Roy finished their early dinner before the arrival of the supper crowd, they enjoyed a quiet moment. Or maybe a private joke.

To peer through a lens and “capture” the lives of others can feel very intrusive.  Whatever they experienced was just for the two of them. I know nothing about it other than what I saw, which is enough for me.

Mirror, Mirror

Theophil Syslo says: 

If you’re wearing mirrored sunglasses, I will most likely try to create some content around it. (I’m thinking of you, Perla!) While chatting and photographing the “Lakes Chillin’” AESOP trip to nearby Tripp Pond on Aug. 31, I learned that the trip leaders, seniors Dani Levy and Eli Toffel, both from Brookline, Mass., have known each other since, well, I want to say even before high school.

While creating a few portraits, I asked them to pose and smile while I focused on the person reflected in the sunglasses. This is Dani smiling; Eli in the reflection.

Golden Friendship

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

Members of the classes of 1974 and 1975 — one class coming off their 50th Reunion year, and the other getting ready for theirs in June 2025 — came together during Back to �ֲ���ý for a “pass the baton” event.

I had been asked to photograph the ritual and looked forward to having a bit of fun with what I assumed would be engaged alums. Is there a nice way to say that I did not have great expectations for the situation? Probably not. But as it turns out, I caught this spontaneous — and completely unanticipated — moment between two friends from the Class of 1975, Scott Balcomb and Geri Fitzgerald.

I enjoyed their laughter, and I appreciated the genuine nature of whatever transpired. The best photographs for me are usually the unanticipated ones. So in hindsight, I am grateful for the assignment and the delightful energy of �ֲ���ý alumni excited for their milestone Reunion.

Eyes on the Prize

Theophil Syslo says: 

My first time seeing men’s basketball player David Omasombo ’26 play was in December during a winning game vs. Bowdoin in Alumni Gym. I’ve always enjoyed sports photography because it captures all sorts of vignettes of humanity: highs to lows, cheers to tears. I focused on David’s eye and the intensity channeled through his vision.

Framing his head to fill the frame while using a 300mm lens allowed for creative composition. The focus on his eye helps draw the viewer along the frame, creating a sense of wonder about what’s happening in the photo. (Low-key, this looks like how I feel after shoveling my driveway at 6 a.m. during a snowstorm before heading to work.)

Here Comes the Sun

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

These paired photos show �ֲ���ý rowers walking boats and gear down the hill from the Traquina Boathouse to the Androscoggin River on successive days in October. On the first day, Oct. 17, the rowers were all set for a gorgeous early morning practice, not long before their big fall regatta, the Head of the Charles in Boston.

Unfortunately, morning fog — beautiful in its own way — interfered. Head coach Peter Steenstra tried to wait out the thick soup, but it didn’t dissipate. So he sent the grounded athletes back to campus and rescheduled the workout for the afternoon. I wasn’t able to be there, so I returned the next morning for a second chance, when I duplicated a photograph at the hillside location for an entirely different sun-splashed moment.

Paws, Laugh, Repeat

Theophil Syslo says: 

What’s your favorite dog quote? If you know me, you know why I’m including this photo in my favorites — because it’s my favorite. I’ve said it before: If a photo can make you laugh, it’s worth sharing. Nothing makes me giggle more than listening to a talkative dog try to argue his way into a port-a-potty. (In this case, during a soccer game at Russell Street Field last September.)

If you pair this photo with a serious quote, like Gandhi’s “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated,” the humor only gets better.

Birthday Snowscape

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

What do you do when it snows nearly a foot on your birthday? If you’re Amelia Wallis ’24, you enjoy a snow party on the Historic Quad with your �ֲ���ý buddies. “It’s an amazing day to celebrate with friends,” said Wallis, whom you can spy in her aqua blue jacket, seated at the head of a snow horse they created, which followed the snow fort they dug from a big pile of snow left by Facility Services plows.

If I remember correctly, I had stumbled across this scene while out looking for a snowstorm feature. I am often invited to photograph student celebrations, such as senior thesis bindings, organizational dinners, or performances. But this was unexpected, a gift for a lucky photographer.

Grit to Grace

Theophil Syslo says: 

I struggle to understand whether cross-country running is about the journey or the destination. So much of what I see at the finish line, such as the remains of a runner’s last meal or the anguished expressions of an athlete running on empty, is raw and gritty. This photograph, of a runner, Campbell MacDonald ’27, lying on the grass after crossing the finish line at the Pineland Farms course, offers something complementary: a sense of peace.

Unspoken Love

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

During the May 4 installation ceremony for President Jenkins, I anticipated that there would be a moment of connection and emotion between the new president and his parents, Leslie Jenkins and Garry C. Jenkins, during his address. I had seen the same with President Clayton Spencer and her parents at her installation ceremony in October 2011. 

I was covering the event with a freelance photographer, Rene Roy, and our plan to capture the moment was that I would turn my camera toward his parents, and she would train her lens on the president.

Early in his inaugural address, as Jenkins offered heartfelt thanks to his mother and father, Roy created an emotion-filled image of Garry, choking up and leading applause; I, in turn, documented his father’s proud smile and his mother, holding hands with her son’s husband, Jon Lee, returning her son’s gratitude with a gesture of love. 

Belonging in Every Layer

Theophil Syslo says: 

If I had to pick just one moment from 2024, this would be it. In truth, I would choose the whole event — it was just that good. When you’re surrounded by good people, you feel good. What I like most about this photograph is how well it illustrates the event, which was a welcome-back reception at the Student Center for Belonging and Community in September.

Beyond the event, the photo demonstrates storytelling, and layering, and a beautiful moment between two students: Halima Guliye ’27 and Sakina Saidi ’26. I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of photographing Saida before, during the annual Cultural Showcase. From my perspective, if Sakina Saidi is present, it’s worth watching and listening.

Man in Uniform

Phyllis Graber Jensen says:

In my 30th annual cycle of campus coverage, I am grateful when something novel crosses my horizon. That’s what happened when this uniformed member of the U.S. Naval Academy squash program appeared in my viewfinder during the Bobcats’ season opener.

This is Lt. Cmdr. Brian Schaus, and in addition to being a faculty member in the electrical engineering department, he is the team’s “o-rep,” the officer representative, responsible for upholding the Naval Academy’s standards of conduct, appearance, and honor.

He probably has some fun in his role, but at the �ֲ���ý Squash Center he looked to be all business. Maybe it’s an issue of style. His crisply tailored and decorated uniform, his attention to decorum, and his serious expression all telegraph duty and focus over fun and pleasure — but who’s to say those two don’t go hand in hand? Not me.

Fashion Meets Passion

Theophil Syslo says: 

When I get the chance to incorporate colorful seamless backgrounds into portraits, I get excited. The annual Trashion Show offers one of those opportunities  — and it’s an eyeful. Moments like this ground me and remind me how colorful people can be through their creativity and upcycled imagination. I love the way the colors interact with the designed trash wardrobes. It’s a joy to support causes that resonate with me, and I’m happy that �ֲ���ý students are passionate about this kind of thing.

(Note: I try my best to get as much use out of the paper seamless backdrops before cramming them into a recycling bin…!)

Garry! Garry!

Phyllis Graber Jensen says: 

Has a �ֲ���ý president ever joined the student section during a basketball game in Alumni Gym? We’re not sure, so understandably there was uncertainty when students chanted their invitation, “We want Garry!” to President Garry W. Jenkins during the women’s basketball team’s first-round NCAA tournament victory over Brooklyn College last March.

Jenkins responded to the invitation, adding his captivating energy to the boisterous throng — not once but twice, the second time seen here during waning moments of the Bobcat’s second-round victory over Widener University.

In doing so, he made a great decision, sparking even more of what is now called “Alumni Magic” — pride in the team and �ֲ���ý, exhilaration for the victorious moment, and pure affection for the new �ֲ���ý president. 

Picture Perspective

Theophil Syslo says: 

Not to steal Princess Jasmine’s best line, but it really is a whole new world, or new perspective. It wasn’t too long ago the only opportunities for access for content creation like this would be through balloons, kites, airplanes, and helicopters. Drones are a great new tool that producers like myself are excited to use to help push the story.

Moonstruck

Phyllis Graber Jensen says: 

I usually feel celebratory on the first day of July but less so on the last day of the month when I anticipate summer winding down, even when it isn’t. Last July 1, I set out in search of early morning (5:12 a.m.) sunlight, and focused on the Puddle, where, as expected, I found a beautiful scene. But as I climbed the stairs between Lane and Pettengill halls, I looked up and spotted this full-bodied, cratered moon, floating above a stream of quickly moving clouds. I swooned in expectation of a wonderful summer. 

The beating heart of �ֲ���ý in November: a presidential election — and a rhetoric class dedicated to staging a simulated one — plus performances, athletic competitions, lectures, and community engagement. Please join us in reviewing the latest This Month at �ֲ���ý.

Upside Downstage

Kiara McGinness ’27 of North Andover, Mass., demonstrates her flexibility while dancing in the piece The World Slowed Down as I Was Moving. 

Sarah Senator ’25, in collaboration with the cast, choreographed the piece as part of her senior thesis for the 2024 �ֲ���ý Fall Dance Concert in Schaeffer Theatre. 

The concert also featured thesis performances by fellow seniors Jane Drumm, Lydia Frew, and Cate Pope, and an original piece by faculty artist Kate Marchessault, with artistic direction by Assistant Professor of Dance Brian J. Evans.

Insight from an Alumna

Award-winning writer and activist Ru Freeman ’93 talks with students following her Literary Arts Live talk in mid-November. 

Earlier in the day, Freeman joined a writing class taught by Lecturer in English and fellow author Jessica Anthony ’96. She answered questions and led a few writing exercises, such as posing hypothetical “what if” questions about immigration and asking Anthony’s students to craft short fiction responses.

Freeman talked about how, for her, each essay, story, and book feeds into the next. “It feels like if I didn’t write that novel, or that short story, I couldn’t write the next thing.”

Freeman has published extensively since her acclaimed debut novels, A Disobedient Girl and On Sal Mal Lane, a decade ago. During her talk, she read from her most recent collection of short stories, Sleeping Alone.

Born in Sri Lanka, she also read from an essay about her first year at �ֲ���ý, which began her journey toward American citizenship during her first few months living in Maine.

Playing Press

Every two years, students in the course “Presidential Campaign Rhetoric” fan out across campus to mount and run a simulated presidential campaign. They nominate candidates, run ads, deliver speeches, engage with the media, and navigate crises — all the while learning rhetorical skills and collaborating across academic disciplines.

Here, Aidan Stark-Chessa ’26 of Falmouth, Maine, prepares lighting equipment for a press conference covering news of a zombie virus outbreak. 

The course is taught by Stephanie Kelley-Romano, professor of rhetoric, film, and screen studies.

Kids on Campus

Energized students, costumed families, vast quantities of candy, and unseasonably warm weather came together in perfect harmony on Alumni Walk during a college-sponsored Halloween trick or treat event for the Lewiston-Auburn community.

Around 40,000 pieces of Halloween candy, courtesy of the Ferrara Candy Co., was funded by Greg Guidotti ’92 and his 1992 �ֲ���ý classmates.

“Hopefully, together, we made Halloween a bit happier!” said Guidotti, Ferrara’s chief marketing officer. “I have a lot of love and incredible memories from Lewiston. �ֲ���ý and Lewiston are part of who I am.”

Running Yards, Breaking Records

Ryan Lynskey ’27 of Cranford, N.J., gobbles up some of his rushing yardage vs. Bowdoin, in which he set the single-game �ֲ���ý and NESCAC all-time rushing record. That’s wide receiver Ryan Gleason ’27 of Millbury, Mass., helping out.

In the early November game, Lynskey ran for an astounding 344 yards, breaking the �ֲ���ý record held by Sean Atkins ’03, who ran for 302 yards, also against Bowdoin, in 2002. For his epic performance, Lynskey .

Chatting with the Governor

Carly Philpott ’27 of Centennial, Colo., who is managing news editor of The �ֲ���ý Student, interviews Maine Gov. Janet Mills during the governor’s visit to Commons one day before the November election.

As Mills shook hands and exchanged smiles, her repeated refrain could still be heard above the usual din of Commons during the noontime rush: “Have you voted yet?” and “Are you planning on voting tomorrow?”

Watching History Unfold

Assistant Professor of Politics Seulgie Lim joins students, faculty, and staff at an Election Night watch party in Chase Hall Lounge. 

�ֲ���ý’ watch party spanned multiple campus locations, all featuring live TV and free pizza. 

President Garry W. Jenkins; Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies Stephanie Kelly-Romano; Professor of Politics and Associate Dean of the Faculty Stephen Engel; and Professor of Politics John Baughman also attended the event.

‘To Humanize the Dead’

In late October, students in the course “Political Violence in Latin America” created a Day of the Dead altar, known as an ofrenda, in the lounge of the Program in Latin American and Latinx Studies, located in Pettengill Hall.

“Our course touches on death constantly,” said their professor, Associate Professor of Politics Clarisa Pérez-Armendariz, including politically motivated murders and killings of journalists, citizens, environmental defenders, and political candidates.

To celebrate the Día de los Muertos holiday on Nov. 1, the class took time “to remember these individuals who have died —  to humanize the dead, to remember them in a non-academic way.”

Her students brought to class photographs of victims of political violence worldwide and spoke about each person. They placed each photo on the altar, which also featured paper marigolds and traditional sugar skulls.

Understanding Election Outcomes

A day after the 2024 election, politics professors (from left) Stephen Engel, John Baughman, and Clarisa Pérez-Armendáriz talked about the election outcome with students, faculty, and staff, in Memorial Commons in Chase Hall.

One topic was voter turnout. “A lot of people misunderstood the degree to which a network of Trump supporters — especially the role of white evangelical churches — mobilized people outside conventional party organizations,” said Baughman.

Honoring Those Who Served

Geoff Swift, �ֲ���ý treasurer and vice president for finance and administration, holds his hat over his heart for the playing of taps during the annual Veterans Day observance at Veterans Plaza.

The gathering included reflective readings and interfaith prayers, the observing of silence, and the ritual of laying flowers to honor the service and sacrifice of veterans.

Dedicated in 2020 and located near the Benjamin E. Mays Center, the plaza honors �ֲ���ý veterans and invites “reflection on the impact of war on the lives of everyone it touches.”

Holding Her Own

Captain Amanda Zerbib ’25 of Larchmont, N.Y., puts up a stiff defense during the in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

The Bobcats followed up with a road victory vs. Babson, before falling to Tufts in the NCAA quarterfinals.

�ֲ���ý finished at 14–6, setting a program record for wins in a season, previously held by the 1975 and 2023 teams.

A Class Victory

Zaylan Washington ’25 of Atlanta holds an American flag during the presidential swearing-in ceremony presented by students in the course “Presidential Campaign Rhetoric” as part of their simulated presidential campaign this fall.

Washington was campaign tech director for winning candidate Claire Bennett, played by Leah Belber ’26 of Washington, D.C.

Moment of Truth

In one of the culminating events of the simulated presidential election on campus, Professor of Politics and Associate Dean of the Faculty Stephen Engel (left) administers the oath of office for newly elected president Claire Bennett (Leah Belber ’26, center, of Washington, D.C.).

Holding a constitutional law textbook, the president-elect’s husband, John Bennett (George Wan ’25, right, of Hong Kong), stood beside Bennet in the traditional pose of spousal support.

Delicious Dining

Students, faculty and staff, and families gather for the annual Harvest Meal in Commons. A �ֲ���ý tradition for over 30 years, the meal invites Bobcats and community members alike to a night of delicious food, community, and fun.

On the walls at right are the four class banners; each incoming class chooses their class banner image early in their first semester on campus.

Ice Cream Indulgence

From left, Eliza Skillings ’25, Maria McEvoy ’25, and Jeremy Felton ’26 enjoy Baked Alaska ice cream and meringue cake from an expansive post-Harvest Meal dessert display in Gray Athletic Building.

Students, faculty and staff, and families mingled, took photos, and indulged in sweets while waiting for the 19th annual Trashion Show to commence.

Teamwork Makes Trashion Magic

First-years Mari Nolasco Alcantara (left) of Tlaxcala, Mexico, and Shristi Tamang of Kathmandu, Nepal, high-five backstage before the 19th annual �ֲ���ý Trashion Show.

Alcantara modeled Tamang’s Nepali-inspired design, which featured a colorful, flowing skirt and jewelry handmade from resin-encased flowers. 

The Trashion Show invites students, faculty, and staff to get creative with their definitions of beauty and waste by creating and modeling outfits made from trash. 

Strut Your Style

Professor of French and Francophone Studies Kirk Read shows off his “academic leisure” outfit to the Trashion Show judges.

Read is a regular at �ֲ���ý’ annual Trashion Show and collaborates with retired Assistant Dean of the Faculty Kerry O’Brien to get the “trashionista” job done. This year’s outfit was created from recycled The Adventures of Tintin calendars. (Read is a big Tintin fan.)

Eight designer-model teams participated in the 2024 show, creating outfits from recycled materials including food packaging, gift wrapping paper, grocery bags, and printed academic readings.

From left, this year’s judges were Assistant Director of Sustainability Tom Twist, President Garry W. Jenkins, Robin Graziano of Dining Services Retail Operations, Senior Associate Dean for Purposeful Work Allen Delong, Associate Professor of German Jakub Kazecki, and Multifaith Chaplain Brittany Longsdorf, with her two children. 

Gather and Give

Jil Moukarzel ’28 (left), a politics major from Beirut, Lebanon, joins Aleisha Martinez Sandoval ’26 of Mexico City, Mexico, in organizing the first annual �ֲ���ý College Menstrual Product Potluck.

The organizers hope to collect donated period products from students and establish a free-of-charge menstrual period product bank at the Lewiston branch of Maine Family Planning.

The community initiative, sponsored by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, is dedicated to addressing period poverty by ensuring access to essential menstrual products for Lewiston and Auburn residents in need.

Chats with Coach

Men’s squash captain Harris Ramlee ’25 of Southville City, Malaysia, confers with head coach Reinhold Hergeth during the Bobcats’ late-November match vs. the U.S. Naval Academy.

Colorful Moves

Juniors Alexis González (left) of Hanford, Calif., and JJ Mariscal of Mission, Texas, perform a ballet folklórico dance during the annual Cultural Showcase in Schaeffer Theatre. 

González wore a traditional Mexican folklórico dress, while Mariscal sported a complementary green sash.

The Cultural Showcase invites students to celebrate and share traditional performances from around the world.

Puppet Performance

Josie Kim ’27 of Santa Monica, Calif., and puppet Jeenu perform in matching striped t-shirts during a student production of drama Wolf Play, by Hansol Jung,  in the Martin Andrucki Black Box Theater.

Theater major Sophie Wheeler ’25 of Skowhegan, Maine, directed the play as part of her senior thesis.

Eyes on the Prize

Jahmir Primer ’25 of Hempstead, N.Y., eyes a possible pass during the Bobcats’ dominant 65–51 victory over Bowdoin in Alumni Gym in early December.

Rocking Out

Alex Kopko ’26 of Topsfield, Mass., jams out on the trombone during a �ֲ���ý Jazz Band performance in the Olin Arts Center Concert Hall.

Cry of the Bobcat

�ֲ���ý superfan and nonagenarian Don Robitaille of Lewiston leads the �ֲ���ý women’s team in a post-game cheer after the Bobcats defeated Colby to up their early-season record to 6–1.