In case of rain, we will cancel.

For more information, contact kate.corlew@maine.edu or aurelia.maietta@maine.edu.

Alicia Rae Bessey’s parents and sister present a check for $5,000 establishing the Alicia Rae Bessey Memorial Scholarship Fund. Pictured from left to right, Associate Professor of Psychology Kati Corlew, Associate Professor of American Studies Sarah Hentges, Dale Bessey, Ted Bessey, and Amanda Randall (Alicia’s sister)

The �鶹APP established the����in 2021 with a generous gift received from her family and friends. The scholarship honors the memory of Alicia Rae Bessey and her significant contributions to the UMA Bangor campus. While awards will be made each spring for the following academic year, an inaugural $1,000 award will be made to a qualifying UMA Bangor student for the 2022 Spring Semester.

Alicia was a force for good in everything she did. While she faced mental health struggles throughout her education, she persevered and took life one day at a time, acting as a resource and model for students struggling with similar challenges. Her memory lives on at UMA Bangor, in the hearts and minds of her friends and family, and with this scholarship, the goal is to help students like Alicia pursue their passion for social justice through education.

Alicia provided leadership, comradery, and support in a variety of roles including in her work with the UMA Bangor Garden Club, the Student Government Association, TRIO, the People for Positive Action club, and in her general community and campus organizing. Alicia co-founded the inaugural “Rainbows for UMA-Bangor” LGBTQIA+ student club and helped evolve this club into a group for students, staff, and faculty as “Rainbows Across UMA.” Pursing an interdisciplinary degree, Alicia created her own major in��LGBTQ and Sexual Education Advocacy��bringing together sociology, psychology, and women’s and gender studies.

During her time at UMA Bangor, Alicia was awarded the WICCD (Women Invigorating Curriculum & Cultivating Diversity) Student of the Year and she was twice awarded the Bangor Campus Garden Student of the Year. She was also awarded the Liberal Studies Associate of Arts Student of the Year and the Bangor Campus Student of the Year award.

Contributions to the����are still being accepted.

While the gardening season may be over for the year, the Garden Club remains active throughout the winter months with various events.�� These include Eat and Greets held periodically on Wednesday at noontime, where students and University staff are invited to brainstorm ideas for the garden and possible philanthropic endeavors while enjoying social time with colleagues and peers.�� The Garden Club has also collaborated with various UMA groups, including CAUSE (Community of Artists for UMA Social Empowerment) to hold food drives and other events to benefit the greater Augusta community.

On Thursday, December 6^{�ٳ���}from 12-2pm and 4 -7pm,��the Garden Club will participate in the Holiday Lunch and Dinner events being held in the Fireplace Lounge, Randall Student Center, Augusta Campus. At its booth, the Garden Club will be collecting food and cash donations for the Augusta Food Bank while having fun taking holiday photos with festive props and backgrounds.�� Stop by for a photo which will be emailed to participants immediately for their use in social media needs.

Interested��in getting involved in��UMA’s Community Garden?��

The Sociology course SSC 334 Cultivating��Community: The Garden Seminar��will be returning to the Augusta and Bangor campuses for the Spring 2019 term!