The Free Press wishes everyone a safe and healthy Thanksgiving this year! You can read more about what will be on our holiday menus here. While this year families might do zoom calls and smaller gatherings, the traditions of asking about the current, watching movies and football, are still alive. Take a walk down memory…
Happy Thanksgiving, this year we have to be extra grateful for what we have, and for those, we surround ourselves with. In this new normal of socially distant meals, we are relying on smaller dinner parties and more facetime calls. Staying in touch with those you care about and checking in to let them know…
Long-distance friendships/relationships used to mean two people staying in touch who are separated by the distance of living in two states, attending different universities, or hours away from each other. Yet in light of the pandemic, long-distance friendships can mean two people living in the same town that are unable to see each other due…
One of the many fears students have coming back to school this pandemic season is, how will this semester compare to all of those before? As upperclassmen try to settle into their new schedules, adapt to a routine foreign to them, and far different from before. While the world is constantly changing and no one…
Since moving to online classes from being in-person in early March, people have been adding more and more to their already busy lives. Since we are mostly working and taking classes online, we must have more time to fill the extra space we have and have more time on our hands. People have been starting…
By: Zoe Bernardi, Community Editor As students crawl out of their childhood homes for the first time in months, holding on to the fleeting moments of their strange and distanced summers, they enter into a realm of Zoom university. How have their personal spaces become all-purpose rooms? USM has opened up its campus. Costello Field House…
By: Zoe Bernardi, Community Editor The Pandemic of loneliness, COVID-19 has lingered longer than expected. It bleeds into the back to school season, and already dreaded time. Everyone must be there doing a part in trying to stay safe, looking out for those who are at risk, and ensuring they aren’t passing the virus to others….
By: Lillian Lema, Staff Writer Accepting oneself can be a very long and exhausting journey, but the outcome is freedom. USM student Prashiddhi Pokhrel opens up about her struggles with coming to terms with her appearance and mental illness. Growing up in Kathmandu, Nepal, Pokhrel felt like the odd girl out. She despised her image,…
By: Lillian Lema, Staff Writer From a young age, student Ashley Watters knew that she wanted to go into the nursing field. Growing up in a low income family, Watters witnessed the hardships her family faced with the lack of motivation and skill to advocate for their health concerns and therefore, not seek to…
By: Lillian Lema, Staff Writer Finding a place that makes you feel at home is special and not easily forgotten. During a high school trip to Europe, student Jillian Fisher found her special place; Florence, Italy. After her trip was over Fisher was eager to return back. When the opportunity to study abroad at Florence…
By: Amelia Bodge, Staff Writer On March 5th USM held a Panel Discussion titled “The End of School Policing?” The Panel was cosponsored by the Sociology and Criminology departments at USM. The main speaker was Alex Vitale, author of The End of Policing. He came to speak to the city of Portland and the State…
By: Abigail Nelson, Community Editor As the Psychology Club president, a tutor in the learning commons, and the two year in a row recipient of the psychology department’s outstanding community service award, Taylor Lyman is extremely involved in her community. Recently the senior psychology and human biology double major has been working alongside her professor…
By: Lillian Lema, Staff Writer Before K-pop music became a global phenomenon, a group of USM students were already aware of the South Korean beats. This group of friends would come together and rigorously try to learn the dance moves they saw in K-pop music videos. What started off as a pass time for a…
By: Abigail Nelson, Community Editor Imagine waking up in a hospital with no recollection of how you got there. Andrew Therriault, a senior business management major, did just that. Three years ago, Therriault found himself in a unique situation; in a hospital bed with severe injuries that left him nearly paralyzed and no memory of…
By: Lillian Lema, Staff Writer How do you live and work a life that allows you to be content? This question prompted Sarah Chang, former USM AmeriCorps Vista STEM Partnerships Coordinator, to reflect on her life choices.. At the beginning of her college career, Chang was unsure if chemical engineering was the right fit. She…
By: Lillian Lema, Staff Writer As a new semester begins students dread the anxiety of balancing school, work, and classes. Students who study abroad face other worries and concerns. Two weeks before USM student Denae Walton left for England for the Fall 2019 semester, she experienced a bit of cold feet. “I was freaking out…
By: Abigail Nelson, Community Editor Pilot Pete may not have stolen Hannah Brown’s heart in season 15 of the Bachelorette, but he stole ours. Now, he gets a second chance at love as the current Bachelor. Monday nights at 8pm, people all over the country tune in to catch a new episode full of drama…
By: Abigail Nelson, Community Editor USM adjunct professor Christopher Beam has always been interested in history. After returning from the Marine Core, he graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Ph.D. focusing on early 19th century American history. It was as a graduate student, however, that Beam had closely followed current events…
By: Lillian Lema, Staff Writer Many unique and talented artists have walked through the halls of USM where they were able to explore their passions and creations. At USM, alumnus Bridget Conlogue was able to realize that her interests in filming and photography were the right path. “School helped me learn more about myself and…
By: Zoe Bernardi, Community Editor As the holiday season approaches, the sudden urgency rushes to everyone wondering the same thing, “What am I going to gift?” This question is repeating, occurring year after year and for everyone on our list. One of the best parts of the holiday season is gift giving. Having those gift…
By: Zoe Bernardi, Community Editor As we exit November and finish eating all the leftover Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes, we enter December. Every radio station has now transformed into Christmas music. Some people can listen to holiday music all year round, or hear the same songs repeat even when you switch channels. So, I…
By: Lillian Lema, Staff Writer The Career & Employment Hub at USM has a unique team of advisors that help students and alumni gain experience in the workforce and explore career directions. Each career advisor has a unique story of how they ended up in their career path. Career advisor Stacy Stewart found herself pursuing…
By: Zoe Bernardi, Community Editor The holiday break is slowly creeping up on us. It is just beyond the start of December and after the crazy weeks of finals and studying. This year USM students have a solid five weeks, classes end December 13, with finals ending on December 20, and we are not asked…
By: Lillian Lema, Staff Writer This holiday season, Lyric Music Theater is presenting Elf: The Musical. USM senior communications major, Cameron Ramich, is taking center stage as Buddy in this South Portland theater production. “I just knew that I was the character and I have been my whole life. I just knew that this was…