The Ever-evolving Perspective Earned From a Rural Northern Maine Upbringing

To be frank, I talk about this a lot; with my professors, friends, and other professionals within the industry. Although I feel that in some cases my unique background has stifled me, it had also allowed for a blank canvas. I had imagined various futures for myself, taking advantage of opportunities that I didn’t really have access to - ignorance is bliss.

The things I have always cared about have only been further contextualized as I’ve gotten older. There have been certain aspects of my environment that would weigh on me heavily - air quality in rural towns adjacent to me, treatment of immigrant populations, and access to quality nutrition. Each of these I have been witness to time and time again, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I was lucky that on a whim, the opportunity to study population health fell into my lap.

Maine is somewhat seen as this heavily wooded dream marketed towards retirees and people that have too many dogs and enjoy IPA’s. I am not naive to the fact that every state has aspects they are known for, and aspects that are not plastered on Pinterest. This being said, I have always been so frustrated with this state, and miscommunication on what we stand for has proven more harm than good. We are known for lobster, wildlife, hiking, etc. but overlook some very unfortunate communities that consider Maine home.