Some people believe in the next generation of engineers enough to give them their time. That is the simplest way to describe the volunteers behind UMPPF.
They are the person across the table at a scholarship interview, the familiar face at Consider Engineering, the professional who spends an afternoon on resume workshops, high school visits, and Paper Days. They are not paid for any of it. They show up because they believe in these students and want to be there as they begin.
Many of them know exactly what that belief feels like from the other side, because they once stood where these students are standing now. They received the scholarship. They found the mentor. They got the first opportunity that set a career in motion. What they carry forward is not obligation. It is something warmer. They saw what this kind of support can do, and they want to be part of making it happen for the engineers of tomorrow.
That is the legacy this community is built on, and it spans four decades of graduates. It includes people just a few years into their careers and people who have retired from long ones, working in engineering, operations, technology, and leadership. What they share is a belief that the next generation is worth showing up for, and a desire to give these students a leg up as they find their footing.
Here are a few of them.
Barbara Hamilton
Barbara Hamilton earned her degree in Chemical Engineering from UMaine in 1982 and is now Senior Director of Process Control Technology at PCA. She volunteers across interviews and committees, and she is clear about why: the scholarship meant everything to her, and she wants others to have that same shot.
What she loves most is watching a student’s confidence build from their first year to their last. Her advice to them is characteristically direct. “Be curious. Ask thoughtful questions even when you think you know the answer.”
Away from work, Barbara is a dedicated yogini who practices every day, and credits it with helping her stay calm in the chaos and meet any challenge with a beginner’s mind.
Beth Cormier
Beth Cormier studied Engineering Physics at UMaine, graduating in 1986, and retired from Sappi as Vice President of R&D and Sustainability. Retirement has not slowed her involvement one bit. She stays close to UMPPF through the Executive Committee, the Consider Engineering luncheon, and Paper Days, driven by a belief in both the students and the program.
Her advice cuts straight to what matters most at the start. “The one skill you need to begin is curiosity about how things work. That will get you far.”
When she is not with students, Beth is traveling with family and friends, taking long hikes with her dog, and fitting in as much golf as she possibly can.
Jessica Vigneault
For Jessica Vigneault, UMPPF is family. She earned her Chemical Engineering degree from UMaine in 2006, is now Operations Manager at TimberHP, and has spent years making sure new students feel as welcomed as she once did. She gives her time at Paper Days, in resume workshops, on high school visits, and on the Recruitment Diversification Committee.
Ask her about UMPPF’s impact and she calls it a family she was adopted into, one that stretches all over the world and is full of people who want you to succeed. Her words for students land hard: “Do not assume you know what you are capable of. You have the ability to change the world.”
Outside of work, she and her husband love exploring Maine, getting outdoors, and playing music together.
Jesse Stephens
Jesse Stephens earned his degree in Chemical Engineering, with a minor in Business Administration, from UMaine in 2013, and is now a Continuous Improvement Manager at St. Croix Tissue. He gives back through scholarship presentations, Trades for ME events, the Consider Engineering panel, and the Recruiting Committee, using his connections in northern Maine to reach students in places other volunteers cannot always get to.
He is thoughtful about what he hopes students take from engineering. “Very few problems are truly solved in a vacuum,” he says, describing a career that rewards both individual resourcefulness and the ability to collaborate with people who see things differently.
Outside of work, Jesse and his wife Alyssa are rarely far from the water, on the lake in summer and at Sugarloaf in winter, always with their dogs Jack and Sully. He reads fantasy novels, and this year he started a Master’s program in Data Analytics to keep growing his own skill set.
Benjamin Conner
Benjamin Conner earned his degree in Chemical Engineering from UMaine in 2014 and is a Manager of Facilities and Engineering at the Sappi Technology Center. He volunteers through scholarship presentations, co-op interviews and management, and community events as approachable as an elementary school job fair.
His message to students doubles as one of the best things we know about an engineering education. “Engineering has so many applications outside of traditional engineering. It can lead to a career in just about any field. Even if you are unsure about engineering, the skills you develop can be applied to any other profession.”
When he is off the clock, you will find Benjamin playing guitar or tinkering with old outboard motors.
Patrick Laliberte
Patrick Laliberte earned his Chemical Engineering degree from UMaine in 2018 and is a District Representative at Nalco Water. He shows up for the scholarship committee, interviews, resume workshops, and Paper Days breakout sessions, wherever a student can use a hand.
Here is what keeps him coming back, in his own words: “Seeing a student go from high school, to new college student, to co-op, to full-time industry member and future UMPPF volunteer is so fulfilling.” His advice fits right beside it: make as many connections as you can, because the ones you build here will last your entire career.
Outside of work, Patrick loves visiting national parks, is a devoted animal lover, and recently got into making 3D-printed art.
Elaina Stefanick
Elaina Stefanick earned her degree in Chemical Engineering from UMaine in 2019 and is an Early Talent Program Ambassador at PCA. She volunteers through scholarship interviews, resume and interview workshops, and as a speaker for student meetings, and she has a specific reason for it. A resume workshop as a student, led by a volunteer named Annette Smith-Wright, gave her a jolt of confidence and the sense that she was in exactly the right field. She volunteers now to give at least one student that same feeling every year.
What she loves most is seeing how much a student can grow in a short time. As for UMPPF’s impact on her own life, she puts it plainly: she would never have met her husband without it.
Outside of work, Elaina is happiest outdoors, whether she is fishing, gardening, hunting, or out on the water in a kayak.
Jacob Trask
Jacob Trask was introduced to UMPPF in high school, and now he is the one showing up for the students coming after him. He earned his degree in Chemical Engineering from UMaine in 2020 and is a Senior Technical Specialist at Sappi. He volunteers through interviews, Consider Engineering, and scholarship support.
Ask Jacob about the biggest impact UMPPF had on his life and his answer is refreshingly simple. It was the people he met. Now he volunteers to be one of those people for the students coming up, offering the same kind of connection that helped shape his own path.
At home, Jacob and his wife Briana are chasing their two-year-old, Jack, and getting ready to welcome another little one in January. They will take any excuse to be outside together.
Meagan Dube
Meagan Dube found her direction at Consider Engineering, and she happened to meet her husband there too. She earned her degree in Mechanical Engineering from UMaine in 2022 and is a Process Engineer II at Onyx Specialty Papers. She gives back on the Scholarship Committee, runs resume reviews and mock interviews, and visits high schools to talk with students working out their own paths.
Consider Engineering was a genuine turning point for her, the moment she understood what engineering could be. Her advice to the students following her is gentle and hard-won: “Be kind to yourself and follow your passion.”
When she is not with students, Meagan is climbing, indoors and out, with her husband and their dog, and loving every person she meets along the way.
Keith Meyer
Keith Meyer applied for a UMPPF scholarship as a student, and he did not get it. So he made himself a promise to come back one day and show them what they had missed. A 39-year engineering career later, here he is, one of our most dedicated volunteers, giving his time to Consider Engineering and to the very scholarship committees that once turned him down.
His advice carries the whole story in it. “Never give up. You really learn and build character by picking yourself up after failure, trying again, and ultimately succeeding.”
Keith has been happily married for more than 40 years, has three children and two grandchildren he sees every day, and has never stopped moving. These days he coaches youth mountain bike groups and mentors local high schoolers. He made his point, and then he kept on giving.
What they have in common
Read these stories together and a pattern rises to the surface. For most of these volunteers, this is not where their UMPPF story began. They were students here once, believed in by someone who showed up for them, and they have chosen to become that person for the students coming up now.
They will tell you to be curious. To never give up. To make connections. To be kind to yourself. To not assume you know your own limits. It is a lot of advice from a lot of different people, and underneath all of it sits the same conviction: that an engineering education can open a life, because it opened theirs.
To every volunteer who gives us their time, named here or not, thank you. You are the reason a student who is not sure they belong can walk out of a room believing they might. That belief is the whole point, and you are the ones who carry it forward.
If you have ever thought about being that person for a student, there is a place for you in this community. We would love to introduce you around.
Recent Comments