UMA Rockland Spotlight – �鶹APP

Amanda Fagan

Amber Sinclair — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 15:48:13 +0000

Meet Amanda Fagan, UMA Rockland Center Student.

One of those amazing students is Amanda Fagan, who is studying justice studies and pursuing a paralegal studies certificate.

Amanda moved to Maine 10 years ago from Florida. Shortly after moving to Maine, she joined the Rock Coast Roller Derby. When she joined the team, Amanda hadn’t skated since she was six years old, but she immediately felt embraced by the Roller Derby community. Her team took her under their wing and taught her to skate. Amanda now teaches skating classes at the Midcoast Recreation Center to, as she puts it, “pass that gift along.”

Recently, after a sudden career change, Amanda decided to return to college. Despite this turbulent transition, Amanda says, “I thought to myself, what is the best thing I can do other than continue to show up in my community as myself?” Through her degree in Justice Studies at UMA, she hopes to shift to a career in policy where she can fight for marginalized communities. With school, work, and Roller Derby, Amanda’s life is incredibly busy, but she says, “It will never be the perfect time to go back to school, especially when you’re an adult.” She keeps herself motivated by being competitive with herself and leaning on her community.

Thank you, Amanda! We can’t wait to see what you do next!

Phillip Buckley

Amber Sinclair — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 15:04:32 +0000

Meet Phillip Buckley, Assistant Professor of Justice Studies.

This week, we would like to shine a spotlight on one of UMA’s amazing faculty members, who we are lucky enough to be hosting at URock this fall.

Phillip Buckley is an Assistant Professor of Justice Studies who is passionate about Constitutional rights and law. He is also an avid traveler and is always quick with a joke!

Thank you, Professor Buckley, for sharing your time and your story with the UMA community!

Elissa Bower

Amber Sinclair — Thu, 20 Nov 2025 15:50:46 +0000

Meet Elissa Bower, the current Vice President of the URock Student Association.

Like many UMA students, Elissa doesn’t have a traditional academic journey. She spent most of her elementary and high school years homeschooling while sailing to the Caribbean with her family. When she returned to Maine, she found her passion working at Good Tern Coop. She fell in love with the cooperative business model and decided to pursue a higher education degree at UMA to learn more about business.

Once she enrolled at UMA, she discovered that she has many varied interests. She decided to pursue an Interdisciplinary Studies degree in order to further explore different areas of study.

Thank you, Elissa, for all your great work for the URock community and beyond!

Virginia LaFlamme ’23

Amber Sinclair — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 19:04:24 +0000

We at URock would like to shine a spotlight on one of our amazing Alumni who loved UMA enough to stay!

Virginia LaFlamme graduated in 2023 with a degree in Liberal Studies. She is now an invaluable part of the UMA team as our Marketing Content Specialist!

Of her time as a student at UMA, Virginia says:

“I had always wanted to finish my bachelor’s degree, and when the pandemic paused my 25-year career, I finally had the opportunity. I chose UMA for its affordability and flexible online options—but what truly surprised me was the extraordinary quality of the faculty and staff. Their expertise, kindness, and genuine commitment to my success made all the difference. I never felt like just another student; I felt supported, seen, and inspired every step of the way.”

Thank you, Virginia, for all the marvelous work you’ve done for UMA!

Anna Carpenter ’25

Amber Sinclair — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 18:59:13 +0000

At URock and the broader UMA community, there is no shortage of amazing success stories from Alumni who continue to make UMA proud through their grit and perseverance.

This week, we would like to shine a spotlight on Anna Carpenter, a two-time Knox County Legislative Memorial Scholarship winner and a recent URock grad. Of her time at UMA, Carpenter says:

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to return to school, so I started with an Adult Education class. I did so well that the instructor asked me to take her second-level course at UMA. I was very hesitant, as I swore I would never go back to school. It was fear that kept me away, and the belief I wasn’t smart enough, and I was too old (48 at the time).

Over the past five years (yup, took me five), I have learned so much about myself. It turns out that I am very smart! I have a strong desire to learn and feed my brain. After some practice, I learned how to budget my time, discipline myself with my assignments, ask for help when I needed it, and keep pushing forward no matter how hard it felt.

I ended up excelling in my journey at UMA. I have become a very strong woman; I have the utmost confidence in myself now and know that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. I feel very capable of reaching any goal that I give myself.

I plan to apply what I’ve learned in my time at UMA and take it to the next level by applying to graduate school. I’m definitely nervous, but also very excited because I know that I can do the work and be successful thanks to UMA.”

Thank you, Anna, for sharing your journey and being such a wonderful part of the UMA Rockland Community!