Student Spotlight: Jackson Long – Applied Nutrition Program

Jackson Long, Student in the Master of Science in Applied Nutrition program
Jackson Long, a Master of Science in Applied Nutrition student from Boulder, Colorado, is passionate about plant-based eating and living a healthy lifestyle. Jackson’s interest in nutrition was piqued during his time as a competitive cyclist, as he sought out the optimal diet for his athletic performance. His initial interest in nutrition gradually grew into a passion for helping others on their own health journeys, which ultimately led him to UNE. From Competitive Cycling to Nutrition Growing up in Sun Valley, Idaho, Jackson participated in and loved outdoor sports from a young age. He spent much of his free time skiing and then later got into cycling. This passion for physical fitness led Jackson to study integrated physiology at the… Read more >>

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Alumni Spotlight: Tyler Blankenship – Applied Nutrition Program

Tyler Blankenship, Master of Science in Applied Nutrition Student
Tyler Blankenship, Dietetic Technician, Registered (DTR), from Orlando, Florida, is a student in the Master of Science in Applied Nutrition program. Tyler’s background includes working as a chef at Walt Disney World, as a restaurant nutritionist at Sea World and also in nutrition management at a long term care facility. From Chef to Dietary Management Prior to beginning his master’s degree with UNE, Tyler flexed his culinary chops working as both a sous chef and nutritionist at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Armed with degrees in culinary arts and culinary nutrition from Johnson & Wales University, Tyler cooked at Four Star, Five Diamond restaurants at Disney. With a developing interest in nutrition, he moved on to a nutritionist position for… Read more >>

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Student Spotlight: Thomas Troelstrup, MPH Program

Thomas Troelstrup, MPH
“Thanks to this terrific program, I was just offered my dream job on Tuesday as a Foodborne Disease Outbreak Epidemiologist for the Tennessee Department of Health in Nashville! I never thought I would land it by the age of 28!” MPH student Thomas Troelstrup reached out to us with some exciting news about his career this week, so we wanted to connect with him to talk about his new opportunity and his experience with UNE! Like so many MPH students, Thomas came to study Public Health in a somewhat roundabout way. After high school, he attended community college, playing college baseball and majoring in History. Shortly thereafter, he was offered the opportunity to transfer to UNC Greensboro, to play… Read more >>

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Student Spotlight: Alison Braid, MPH – Public Health Program

Alison Braid, MPH student at UNE Online
MPH student Alison Braid is more than halfway through her degree, and loving it. After spending over 15 years in the professional translation and website localization industry, she wanted to make a career switch. Says Alison, “I decided that it was time for a change!” Alison is based in New York City, and most recently managed a localization team of engineers, linguists, and graphic designers, evaluating certain websites, translating and adapting them into several languages. Her day-to-day activities involved working across diverse industries and cultures, and making the websites they’re localizing appealing to each culture. With her Master’s Degree in Translation Studies, she started in the firm as a project manager, and worked her way up through the ranks of… Read more >>

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Ed.D. Student Ben Luce published in professional journal

Ben Luce, Ed.D.
Benjamin Luce, a student in the University of New England’s online doctoral program, was recently published in the American Journal of Distance Education. Benjamin interviewed Bryan Alexander, a leading thinker and writer in issues of education and technology. Alexander is a senior fellow for the National Institute of Technology in Liberal Education. The two discuss many issues relating to technology and its place in modern education – including social media, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), history of technology in education, distance education, and much more. For those with institutional access to the American Journal of Distance Education, the interview can be found here. Check with your library to see if you have access to the periodical… Read more >>

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Student Spotlight: Kimberly Roberts-Morandi, Ed.D. – Education Program

Kimberly Roberts-Morandi, Ed.D. student
Kimberly Roberts-Morandi is a student in the University of New England’s online Doctor of Education (Ed.D.). She is currently working on her dissertation with the other members of her cohort, and checked in with her about her study. Here’s what Kim has to say about her participatory action research experience and why she picked the University of New England for her Ed.D.: “The opportunity to pursue research that would document the transformative impact of an Instructional Leadership team in a rural environment combined my work and passion for school turnaround. I have rooted my qualitative study in a district that embraced shared-leadership as a structure for implementing numerous educator mandates. The study identifies the actions and supports the district … Read more >>

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Student Spotlight: Katy Krings, MPH – Public Health Program

Katy Krings, MPH
Katy Krings is in her final semester of the MPH program and is an excellent example of how online education can be used as a powerful tool to reach qualified individuals who wouldn’t otherwise have access to higher education. Originally from Wisconsin, Katy now lives and works as a public health nurse in rural Southwest Alaska. In fact, the area in which Katy works is so remote that her patients are not accessible by road or boat for much of the year – she has to fly between these arctic villages to provide her patients with care and public health education. Now that’s going the extra mile. Some background on Katy and her career Katy discovered Public Health nursing after… Read more >>

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Student Spotlight: Brittany Roy, MPH – Public Health Program

Brittany Roy, UNE MPH candidate, 2015
This August, a group of UNE students and advisors participated in an immersion experience in Ghana. Students worked alongside Ghana Health Service, community health educators and the community to provide healthcare services to the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. Participants of the program engaged in direct health services, interprofessional collaboration, community education and academic and cross-cultural exchange. Here, Brittany Roy gives us a glimpse of her involvement with the program in Ghana, and her most important takeaways from the experience. About Brittany Roy, MPH Class of 2015 I currently live in Biddeford, Maine with my fianceé. I graduated from Stonehill College in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree where I majored in Neuroscience and minored in Music. I… Read more >>

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Online grad school: the best decision for Kobe, MPH

Kobe, University of New England Masters of Public Health Graduate
UNE MPH Graduate, Kobe, describes his experience getting his Master’s of Public Health at UNE Online. We spoke to Kobe directly after the hooding ceremony this past May. As a part of the reception/celebration for family and friends after the ceremony, you can clearly hear that we had some great live music. What you can’t very clearly hear is Kobe himself – so we’ve transcribed what Kobe has to say, below the video. “Hi, my name is Kobe, and I’m a 2015 UNE Graduate of the School of Public Health. I just want to share my experience. I live in Cherry Valley Massachusetts, maybe about 2 ½ hours from here. But UNE, especially the program in Public Health, gave me … Read more >>

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Online grad school: a worthwhile experience for Gisele Kouevi, MPH

Gisele Kouevi, MPH
Your life changes when you decide to go to grad school. Some of these changes are unique and positive, like meeting new people undergoing the same intense experience, and deepening your knowledge in a field that interests you. Some of the changes are difficult, like trying to juggle your personal life, your time and money, and your work and studies. Difficult? Yes.  But worth it? Only you know the answer to that one. After the MPH hooding ceremony this year, we pulled aside a few MPH grads to tell us a little about their online school experience. Just as no two people are alike, no two answers were the same. See what MPH graduate Gisele Kouevi has to say about… Read more >>

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Online grad school: a better life experience for Sahra Odowa, MPH

Sahra Odowa, MPH
Getting a degree online is a very personal endeavor. It’s an intense experience, and you really get to know your classmates and your professors. You have that bond of working incredibly hard to accomplish something big. And thinking about it, online grad school is bound to be intensely personal. How can it not be? Some of our students, like Sahra Odowa, are first generation American citizens who want to make a difference in the world. That’s personal. After the MPH hooding ceremony this year, we pulled aside a few MPH grads to tell us a little about their online school experience. Just as no two people are alike, no two answers were the same. See what Sahra has to say… Read more >>

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Online grad school: a growth experience for Kiersten Barney, MPH

Kiersten Barney, MPH
Time, money, heart, and soul all go into getting a higher ed degree. It’s not for the faint of heart. UNE has rigorous standards of academic integrity – but we also have unparalleled levels of student support. Our goal is to see that you thrive in UNE’s academic atmosphere. You work hard, and we’ll support you through it all. After the MPH hooding ceremony this year, we pulled aside a few MPH grads to tell us a little about their online school experience. Just as no two people are alike, no two answers were the same. See what Kiersten has to say about the UNE Faculty, and meeting her fellow UNE MPH classmates face to face for the first time:… Read more >>

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Online grad school: a very personal experience for Elizabeth Graham, MPH

Elizabeth Graham
Graduation weekend is a unique and special time at UNE Online.  Beyond the obvious (you have a brand new DEGREE!! You DID IT! ) it’s a special time because you get to meet your classmates face to face for the first time. You get to put faces to names, and connect (dare we say – network?) with the classmates that you’ve shared the last 2+ years with, who have shared your struggles, your stresses, and also your triumphs and breakthroughs. After the MPH hooding ceremony this year, we pulled aside a few MPH grads to tell us a little about their online school experience. Just as no two people are alike, no two answers were the same. See what… Read more >>

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Alumni Spotlight: Alexjandro Daviano, MPH, NRP, LP – Public Health Program

Alexjandro Daviano, MPH, NRP, LP
After going through UNE’s flexible online MPH program, Alexjandro Daviano received his MPH from the University of New England this past December. Here is a little of what Alexjandro had to say about his UNE Online Public Health Programs experience: “My MPH degree at UNE really changed my mind on the career path I’ve chosen, and truly opened my eyes to being able to really use public health to affect change in multiple people.” “I truly see you all (UNE Student Support staff members), and UNE as an academic institution, at the forefront of change in public health. And I am so glad I was able to be a part of it. I really hope we can keep in touch… Read more >>

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Alumni Spotlight: Jordan Ehni, MPH – Public Health Program

Jordan Ehni, MPH Graduate of University of New England
I found the MPH program at UNE to be well designed for working professionals. I was able to keep my full-time position as a housing inspector while completing the program. I also greatly enjoyed my practical experience at the Maine CDC, which provided me with a new public health skill set that I will utilize in the future. Some Background I grew up in eastern Ohio and graduated with my bachelor’s degree in sociology from Ohio State in 2009. Learning about the social determinants of health in my undergraduate courses, along with having a strong interest in statistics and biological sciences, I decided to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. In 2010, after being accepted at UNE, I… Read more >>

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Alumni Spotlight: Francesca McCaffrey, DO, MPH – Public Health

Francesca McCaffrey, DO, MPH
I grew up in the Adirondacks of New York, in a small town with a big community. I did my undergraduate training at Clarkson University in Potsdam, NY where I finally realized my passion for health and medicine. I moved to Maine in 2010 and began my medical training that fall. In my second year of medical school, I decided that the UNE MPH program was a perfect springboard into my clinical education. What do you like about UNE and your major? The UNE Online MPH program helped me to develop a better understanding of the world I will be practicing in as a doctor. My training as a DO has taught me that there is more to medicine than… Read more >>

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Alumni Spotlight: Kristen Provencher, MPH – Public Health Program

Kristen Provencher, MPH
The Public Health major at UNE presented me with a life changing opportunity during the summer of 2012. I traveled to Ghana, West Africa with about 20 people from the UNE community and beyond. We set up a health clinic and served over 100 people in and around the twin cities of Sekondi and Takoradi. The trip inspired a strong interest in global health and health inequities across the globe. It was the end of my freshman year at the University of Maine at Farmington when I realized that health was my passion. After graduating in 2006 with a BS in Community Health Education, I realized that I wanted to be in a classroom sharing my passion with young people.… Read more >>

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