FARMINGTON — Three University of Maine at Farmington faculty members told incoming students Tuesday that college changed their lives for the better, taught them the value of service and opened up doors.

The occasion was the academic convocation to mark the start of the college year. Dearborn Gym was filled with students and faculty, three of whom told their back stories.

UMF Provost Joseph McGinn introduced Patricia O’Donnell, professor of English and director of creative writing; Patricia Williams, assistant professor of Early Childhood Education; and Brian Cavanaugh, assistant professor of Special Education.

O’Donnell, one of 13 children, said her mother never attended high school and neither of her parents went to college, but they encouraged their children to do so and to study something practical.

“I’m not a practical person,” O’Donnell said.

She loved English classes at the University of Northern Iowa but was confused by the idea and purpose of college, she said. She dropped out of the university and became a single mother.

“I’m an example of what not to do,” she said.

She returned to the university and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in English.

“My years in college allowed me to redefine myself,” she said. 

Williams said she was the first in her family to go to college but felt “out of place.” She tried several programs before she found her calling.

She completed a double major at the University of Rochester in New York, earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in psychology, and health and society. 

“I learned the value of service,” she said, attributing her success to the challenges she faced.

Cavanaugh’s back story differed from those of his colleagues.

“I was a white, middle-class male privileged by circumstances I didn’t realize I had,” he said. Both of his parents are college graduates.

“College was assumed at the high school I attended,” he said.

In school, he read very little and avoided anything challenging. He heard about the emotional disturbance program at UMF, applied and was accepted, he said.

“It was the best, most important decision of my life,” he said.

He admitted, though, he struggled during his second semester.

“When I saw my grades, I knew I had to try harder. I had passion and drive,” he said. 

He eventually received a Bachelor of Science degree.

“Learning opens doors,” Cavanaugh said. “Many of you will develop passions.”

“UMF is your next chapter in your lives,” associate provost Jonathan Cohen told students.

He encouraged them to consider a self-designed major. “It’s easy to do here. Take charge of your own education,” he said.

UMF President Kate Foster said, “Faculty members are experts at what they do. They are deeply committed to your success.”

The 561 freshmen represent the largest class at UMF since 2011. Half of them are the first in their family to attend college, and 31 percent had a parent who attended the university.

“Twenty percent (of incoming freshmen) graduated in the top 10 percent of their class. There are three valedictorians and three salutatorians,” Foster said.

pharnden@sunmediagroup.net