What you will see are links to a number of social media sites. Most sites don’t spell out the link name – they just include an icon to represent the social media and expect that everyone will recognize it.

Some icons, such as Facebook or YouTube, seem to be universally recognizable – but how about the other 10 listed below. Let’s see if you can match all of the icons with the social media site. The answers are at the bottom of the newsletter – no cheating!

Two graduates, Todd Parker (pictured at the left) and Kevin White (pictured at the right), were co-recipients of the Distinguished Computer Information Systems annual award. Each spring, students who are graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems are nominated for this recognition by faculty in the CIS program and recognized at the annual Honors Ceremony at the student’s respective campus or center. Although academics is an important criteria in the selection, the student’s university and community service is also considered.

Todd Parker

Todd Parker started attending UMA in spring of 2010 while he was working full-time (50+ hours a week) to support himself and his son. Initially, he was only able to take a few classes. In 2011 the company he was working for went out of business and he saw this as an opportunity, took on roommates and used his GI Bill to attend UMA full time. That summer after completing Elementary Statistics his Math instructor, Fred Brown, convinced him that he should become a math tutor for the UMA Math Lab, which he ended up doing right up until he graduated with his Bachelors in . He tutored both in and out of the lab for courses in English, Math, and CIS, and it was both rewarding and a great learning experience. In addition, he was also hired to work as an Academic Peer Administrator and assisted Learning Support Services and Cornerstone in improving Math lab’s services and its training program.

In 2013, he joined the UMA bowling team that ended up becoming the YSCC champions of that season. He also volunteered for the Habitat for Humanity trip to Harrisburg, PA, and assisted in renovating structures of an area in need. He also helped with the UMA Community garden by assisting with tilling the soil, digging a trench and burying an irrigation line from the Farmhouse to the garden, and setting up the irrigation system.

Todd was selected as a Rising Scholar, made the Dean’s list multiple times, and graduated summa cum laude. He is a positive example of how hard work and effectively juggling classes, family and career, pays off.

Todd was recently hired as a Security Analyst for InforME, which, among other things, contracts with the State of Maine to create applications and host services for the portal. Todd comments, “At a little over a month into the job, what I have learned from my degree about Networking, Information Systems Security, Project Management, Computers and Culture, Web and Java Programming, Unix/Linux, and studying/research have all given me an invaluable foundation”.

Kevin White

Kevin officially graduated in . He was on the Dean’s list every semester of his college experience. While he was in the CIS program, he participated in two internships: one with Maine Machine Products Company and one at Winderosa. Both companies were impressed with his information technology skills and his work ethic. He worked for a short time at RSU 10, when a career opportunity opened at New Page paper mill, he made that move. Kevin is also the developer of KW Products, an online store that sells retail items online.