UMPI student Elise Gudde is pictured here with a black bear in the North Maine Woods

     This issue’s Student Spotlight features Elise Gudde. Elise is a junior from Caribou, Maine. At UMPI, she studies environmental science and sustainability with a concentration in natural resources, and she also studies psychology. In addition to her double major, she is pursuing a minor in biology. Elise excels academically: she has achieved highest honors on the UMPI Dean’s List all of her semesters at UMPI.

     When she is not in class, Elise stays active with various activities. She is secretary of the Geo-Ecology Club, a member of the Phi Eta Sigma honor society, a member of the women’s cross-country team and a past member of the track club. She also serves as a research assistant for Professor Jason Johnston and as a research assistant for the City University of New York. Her work for Johnston is in the field of bird and insect ecology and consists of bird surveying, nest searching and monitoring, bird capture and data management. Her work for CUNY consists of collecting snow data such as snow depth, grain size, hardness and ice levels at the National Weather Service station in Caribou.

     Elise, who has run cross-country since the sixth grade, made the North Atlantic Conference Sportsmanship Team in the fall of 2016 and the fall of 2017.  And she made the USCAA National All-Academic Team in the fall of 2016. She was named Most Inspirational Female Runner for the UMPI team for the 2016-2017 year. Outside of her cross-country honors, she has distinguished herself as an alumna of the Maine New Leadership Program, held at the University of Maine at Orono in the summer of 2017.

     Elise enjoys UMPI because the class sizes are small, she has the opportunity to get to know her professors, there are abundant research opportunities and its location allows her to commute from her home in Caribou. Her favorite classes at UMPI have been geographic information systems with Professor Chunzeng Wang, general ecology with Johnston and vertebrate biology with Johnston. For the vertebrate biology class, Elise and her classmates had the opportunity to interact with black bears in the north Maine woods near Ashland, Maine. This bear den observation session was undertaken this past February in conjunction with representatives from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

     When Elise is not busy with school or work, she enjoys Nordic skiing; hiking at such places as Aroostook State Park, Acadia National Park and Baxter State Park; snowshoeing; shopping at stores the likes of L.L. Bean in Freeport; and watching Netflix. The television show she is currently watching is “Gilmore Girls.” Her favorite film is “Lady Bird” and her favorite actor is Saoirse Ronan. Her favorite food is pizza, and she especially enjoys the cheese pizza from Reno’s in Caribou. Elise also likes to read, with her favorite novel being “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. Furthermore, Elise’s talents also extend to music: she plays the flute and piano.

     Elise likes Caribou because her mother, her role model, resides there and because of the area’s plentiful woods and wildlife.  Upon graduation from UMPI, however, she sees herself moving away, possibly to the University of Maine at Orono, to pursue a graduate degree in wildlife ecology or wildlife conservation. She wants to eventually work at a state or federal resource agency or at a state or national park. She hopes to remain in New England, though, wherever she winds up. Moreover, one day Elise hopes to embark on her dream vacation: a trip to Ireland, where she could hike and explore the beauties of the Emerald Isle.

     Lauren Chapman, an UMPI student and good friend of Elise, has this to say about her: “She is very involved and always going above and beyond. She is a good listener and a good person to go to if you need help. She is always there to lend a hand.”

     Lisa Pucci, administrative specialist in the office of the UMPI president, had Elise working for her as a work-study student in the past.  Pucci says, “Elise is a diligent, focused, personable young woman who is going to go far in life. We are very proud of her accomplishments and being selected last year to attend the Maine NEW (National Education for Women) Leadership Summer Institute at the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at the University of Maine, Orono. She represents all things positive of our university and Aroostook County.”

     Elise is a conscientious person and diligent student. She represents UMPI well. The AmeriCorner congratulates Elise on her accomplishments.