Undergraduate Alumni Stories

The water was still as the boat rocked in the July heat, 20 miles off Florida’s Gulf Coast. Standing at its edge, Loma Jones watched the ocean’s surface as though it was speaking. In a way, it was.

Below the surface, a dark shadow cut past the hull. A shark. A sentinel of ocean health. The kind of animal that ignited something in Jones long before she had the words to name it. She doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t reach for her phone. She leans forward.

A month earlier, Jones stood at a very different edge, the stage for Merrill Auditorium in downtown Portland, Maine. Looking out at a sea of faces – Unity’s largest graduating class to date – Jones, student speaker for the Class of 2025, spoke with calm, resonant clarity. “I told my mom, ‘I wanted to be a marine biologist at age seven,” she said. “I just didn’t know how long the road would be, or how many times I’d have to reroute.”

“Unity allowed me to be open and share my real working experience with my peers in all of my courses. Prior to Unity I had been in the animal care field for 10 years in multiple settings like wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife education, and Large Carnivore husbandry. What made my educational experience unique to me is the feeling of being able to contribute to the modern education of animal care while also learning about advancements and opportunities through my courses that also benefited me greatly.”

“I was able to learn from some really knowledgeable professors. This experience helped me really know what I want to dedicate my life to. I am now on a more sustainable and environmentally conscious path because of Unity.”

Before his name became synonymous with inclusive education policy, Dr. Mark Alter was part of something much smaller: Unity’s very first class of students. He would go on to advise governments, lead international research, teach thousands of teachers, and shape how entire educational systems can and should support the students who need them the most. But long before New York University (NYU), the Fulbright Senior Specialist award, and decades of influence, Alter was a young man stepping off a plane into a state he’d never been to, looking for something different. The country was in upheaval. He had heard of an experimental, still unaccredited college in Maine.

She left Unity an axe-throwing, science-loving environmental researcher with a real drive to “just try it” who had spent the last several years traveling Maine, building lifelong relationships, and learning how to apply sustainability to every aspect of the world around her.

“I think a lot of the hands-on, experiential learning I had at Unity was important because that’s really what I do now. You go out and figure things out with your team,” said Sosa, who has spent the last 30 years working within the Hazardous Waste branch of the Environmental Protection Agency.  “What I liked most was the small nature of the classes. We had so much one-on-one attention from professors, and there was a real communal feel. Many students hung out together.

Sosa spent her time at Unity embracing that Maine community aspect by going wherever her feet could take her, explaining, “We were always somewhere!” She travelled with friends to the White Mountains of New Hampshire and the peaks and coasts of Acadia National Park. Classes took her across the state, from Schoodic Point to Katahdin Ironworks, while also sticking close to school in places such as Sandy Stream. Sosa even spent a three week mini-term studying tree species along James Bay, Ontario, Canada.

There was a bit of culture-shock transitioning from the big city, sure, but Sosa approached the new experiences head on.

“When I was at Unity I also joined the woodsmen team. It was a real eye opener. I learned how to canoe, crosscut saw, throw an ax — I was very bad at that — snowshoe, and light a fire with one match. That team really expanded my comfort zone,” Sosa said.   “And that’s how I kind of lead my life now: you just have to try. I’m not a perfectionist in that I may not do something well, but I’ll make sure I do it. I expose myself to new things. And Unity was really a place where you could do that. I’d never lived in that kind of community before.”

“I really enjoyed living there. I felt one with Unity. I fit in and it fit me.”

“While attending Unity, I worked for the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in the education department part time and volunteered at Tree Hill Nature Center in my off time. During the last month of my program, I got a job as an Elephant Specialist at White Oak Conservation. After about a year working with the biggest land mammals on Earth, I was offered a job as an Assistant Curator at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo. I am now in Gainesville, FL assisting in running the teaching zoo and help educate the future generations of conservationists and zookeepers.”

“I started as a conservation aid with the Maine DEP. I was hired full time after I graduated as an Oil & Hazardous Material Responder. I was with the DEP for 11 years altogether before I moved to Colorado.

The outdoor class settings allowed me to become familiar with the Maine climate and environment. This was a critical part of my growth because I came from Florida and wasn’t prepared for the Maine winters. Unity helped me adapt to the weather and be prepared.”

“I completed my B.S. in Marine Biology & Sustainable Aquaculture with a 4.0 GPA in December of 2021. Since February of 2022, I’ve been employed as a lab assistant at the University of California Davis – Fish Conservation and Cultivation Laboratory (FCCL). At FCCL we cultivate endangered Delta smelt (Hypomesus transpacificus) and Longfin smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys) from egg to adult stage in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). The adult smelts are ultimately released into the wild to supplement the smelt populations in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta, Suisun Bay, San Pablo Bay, and San Francisco Bay. We also cultivate Rotifers (Brachionus plicatus), Brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana), and Ramshorn snails (Helisoma anceps); identify Columnaris disease, Mycobacterium, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, etc., then treat with appropriate prophylactics; and conduct cleaning and maintenance of RAS.

My education at Unity College prepared me for my current position quite well. There were a few specific classes that gave me the knowledge necessary to have a relatively easy transition into my current position, which allowed me to hit the ground running from day one.”

“My education at Unity has benefited my career in many ways. One way it has benefited my career is by providing me with knowledge and skills. Unity has also improved my career on a personal level by allowing me to gain information about passions in my life while also allowing me to open up new career paths in the future. Lastly, I think Unity has built up my confidence and abilities in my career.  Taking different classes involving the behaviors of animals has helped build up the tools I need, and I am beyond grateful that Unity has been able to give me the ability to gain knowledge and skill for my career.”

“I graduated from Unity College Distance Education in August 2021 with a Wildlife Conservation degree. At the beginning of the summer of 2021, I got a job being a Tidepool Ambassador Guide with the Cape Perpetua Marine Reserve on the central Oregon Coast.

Being a Tidepool Ambassador Guide has allowed me to share what conservation is being done on the marine reserve and how the marine reserve has been successful since being formed and what is happening now. As a Tidepool Guide, I take people out on tours and talk to the public during minus and low tides during the summer, spring, and fall showing different tidepool creatures and marine plants and teaching them about it in three locations. During the winter we work on picking dates and information for the next tours in the spring. I talk about sea star wasting disease, climate change, what the creatures eat, how the creatures and plants are important to the tidepool. Tidepool creatures include Orche Sea Stars, nudibranch, blue porcelain crab, baby giant pacific octopus, seaweed, and giant green sea anemones to name a few.”

“I am walking away with an understanding of strategic planning frameworks among so many other things that are beneficial. Through the coursework at Unity, I have really learned how to organize, begin, and complete a research process and then execute.”

“After traveling to Rwanda on three different grants to aid the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association in saving endangered Grey Crowned Cranes as the Hospital Manager of Animal Health and Registered Veterinary Technician for the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, I decided I could increase my impact potential as a wildlife field biologist. I was traveling around the world then and was not sure where I would land in the United States. I took advantage of the Distance Education program Unity offers and registered to begin coursework towards the Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Conservation.”

Growing up in Maine, Tyler Sirois knew from a young age that he wanted to work outdoors. “I never wanted to be stuck behind a desk,” he said. By the time he was in high school, Tyler had set his sights on a career as a game warden and started to look for a college program that was focused on not just criminal justice, but conservation law enforcement. He heard about Unity College from his best friend and decided to apply. Now, as an officer with the Maine Marine Patrol, Tyler can draw a direct line from his experience at Unity College to his successful career.

“As a working professional, Unity’s flexibility to its students helped me effectively manage my time day-to-day. I could go to work without having to worry about losing hours because I needed to attend a virtual class or catch a test. I could do my job, spend time with friends and family, go to the gym, and still have plenty of time in my day to complete the required learning materials and assignments. At no point during my experience at Unity did I feel like I had to reduce my hours at work. I could still have real days off.”