Maine
Northeastern celebrates 215 graduates during commencement ceremony in Portland, Maine
The Class of 2025 included master’s degree recipients from 19 countries, nine U.S. states and 41 cities or towns across Maine.
When Emmanuella Wiafe lost her aunt to breast cancer, it ignited in her a need to understand the disease and “do something.”
“That pain turned to passion and purpose, what I personally call ‘PPA’ — ‘Pain turned into Passion and Ambition,’” said Wiafe, the student speaker at Northeastern University’s Portland campus commencement on Friday.
The Portland campus Class of 2025 included 215 master’s degree recipients who came to study at Northeastern from 19 countries, nine U.S. states and 41 cities or towns across Maine.
Wiafe came to Northeastern with a strong foundation in clinical diagnostics, quickly engaged in cutting-edge breast cancer research, launched the BioPILOT Lab with faculty, and participated in real-world collaborations with biotech startups across Maine.
Wiafe, who earned a master’s degree in biotechnology, said she found a welcoming and empowering community at the Portland campus that helped her grow.
“Beyond the titles and projects, what will always be a part of me is the sense of belonging and support,” she said. “I’ve learned that success isn’t just measured by what we achieve, but by the people who walk with us, challenge us and believe in us along the way.”
She reminded her classmates that the Portland campus shaped them and prepared them to step forward to lead, to build and to transform the lives of other people.
Wiafe will continue working as a research associate at MaineHealth, advancing work in oncology, cardiology and infectious disease, while preparing for a future Ph.D. in cancer biology and drug development.
L.L.Bean CEO Steve Smith, also speaking at Northeastern’s Portland campus, encouraged graduates to keep seeking meaningful experiences and develop new skills throughout their lives.
Smith, the fourth president and CEO of the iconic Maine-based company, used a backpacking analogy to share lessons from his own career journey and emphasize the value of regular reflection for career development.
“May your packs be full, your paths be purposeful and your impact be lasting,” said Smith, who previously held leadership positions at Walmart International, Hannaford and J. Walter Thompson.
Early in his career, Smith said he regularly evaluated the skills and experiences he wanted to gain to make himself better prepared and more resilient. He sought out transferable skills such as project management or public speaking as well as expert-level knowledge in merchandising and general management.
“As I’ve paused, emptied the pack and looked at the contents, I’ve also asked myself where do I want to go next,” Smith said. “And more deeply, I have looked for places where I find joy and motivation — and made sure that I am moving in that direction.”
He deliberately declined some promotions and moved laterally, pursuing roles in merchandising, supply chain and operations, to gain a holistic view of the business and leadership. This, he said, helped him develop qualities like resilience, fortitude, humility, empathy and transparency.
“I used my pack to be sure I was building a diverse, interesting set of skills and experiences that I would be able to use as my career progressed into bigger and more complex roles,” Smith said.
When he found himself in a job that didn’t align with his values, reflection helped him pinpoint the moments that had felt most fulfilling — ultimately leading him to L.L.Bean.
“That reflection led me to my current role that I have at L.L.Bean, where I could join great people in service of a very clear purpose and build the strategy and the culture to achieve our potential — all in line with my values,” Smith said.
As a founding partner of Northeastern’s Roux Institute in 2019, L.L.Bean has supported the university’s Portland campus from the beginning, Smith said, “back when it was still an ambitious idea to reshape Maine’s future.”
“The bold mission of the Roux Institute is no longer just aspirational — it’s alive in all of you, the Class of 2025,” he said.
Smith gave a shout-out to two graduates with L.L.Bean ties — Ganesh Venu Gopal, an L.L.Bean lead data engineer, and Chinonso Victoria, a co-op student. L.L.Bean has enrolled more than 20 employees in Northeastern programs, hired students and partnered with the university on experiential courses in supply chain management.
Smith praised the long-term commitment to Maine shown by David and Barbara Roux and the Harold Alfond Foundation, who partnered with Northeastern in 2020 to launch the institute. He was especially moved to learn that 80% of Roux graduates over the last five years have decided to stay and work in Maine.
“I hope you carry a piece of Maine’s beauty, soul and resilience with you wherever you go,” Smith told the graduates. “But let it remind you to pause, to reflect and to stay grounded in what matters most — things like community, integrity and purpose.”
Abby Bridges, who completed her master’s in analytics from Northeastern last year, welcomed the Class of 2025 to the university’s global alumni network of over 350,000 graduates in nearly 185 countries. Bridges now works as a data analyst and program evaluator at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health.
Two 2025 graduates from the College of Professional Studies — Sampson Boateng and Alexander Campbell Legore — were named to the Laurel and Scroll 100 Society of Distinction.
As a final gift, all Class of 2025 graduates received a scholarship to pursue one of six tuition-free graduate certificates in the future.
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The Maine Department of Transportation is moving to slash up to $400 million in projects from its agenda, a shocking and abrupt cutback that is rattling the state’s construction industry at the start of building season.
Roughly $50 million across six pavement projects have already been delayed, according to a memo exclusively obtained by the Bangor Daily News. The agency plans to cut or delay another $150 million in bridge, highway, intersection and multimodal projects later this month. A further $200 million or more in cuts are planned in the next three-year work plan.
Those figures were outlined by Transportation Commissioner Dale Doughty in the May 18 memo to Gov. Janet Mills that has since circulated widely in the transportation sector, which has been getting drip-by-drip details on the wide scope of the cuts over the past three weeks.
It comes at the beginning of the state’s relatively narrow construction season. Companies have hired workers and ordered materials for projects they expected to begin this summer. The severity of the transportation budget problems was not raised to lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session.
Kelly Flagg, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Maine, called the shortfall “deeply troubling” in a statement.
“We stand ready to work with policymakers, stakeholders, and industry partners to identify both immediate and long-term solutions,” Flagg said. “Maine cannot afford to fall further behind.”
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The cuts stem from a structural funding gap of at least $130 million in the state’s current work plan, according to Doughty’s memo. Losses are magnified because state money from the gas tax and other revenue sources is matched by federal funds. Lawmakers have long grappled with politically difficult long-term problems with the state’s transportation budget.
A Mills spokesperson said Wednesday morning that the administration was working on a response to questions from the BDN. The department says it needs roughly $240 million more in state capital funding annually to maintain the existing system, and that anything less than $200 million will erode it over time.
Doughty’s memo the only near-term solution is a series of bonds beginning as soon as possible. Lawmakers would have to return to Augusta to authorize that if one is going to appear on the November ballot.
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Michael Capeci is the former chairman of the Bangor GOP.
Let’s be honest about Maine’s current state.
For many families, the cost of living has become unsustainable. Housing is out of reach for many young people. Energy bills keep rising. Many small businesses are struggling under taxes and regulations that make it harder to grow. Rural hospitals are under strain and despite years of increased state spending, the results are not showing up in people’s daily lives.
Concurrently, Maine continues to lose young workers to other states. That is not a statistic, it is a warning sign.
To me, the question in this Republican primary for governor is not about slogans. It is whether we continue with a political approach that has failed to reverse these trends, or whether we nominate someone with new ideas. I think that someone is Owen McCarthy.
Owen is not a political insider. He is an entrepreneur from Patten, a small town where opportunity is not assumed, it is built. He grew up in a working-class family, became the first in his family to graduate from college graduating from the University of Maine, and founded MedRhythms, a healthcare technology company focused on neurological treatment.
He didn’t just talk about opportunity. He built it. That distinction matters, because Maine’s problem is not a lack of debate it is a lack of results. We have seen the trajectory: higher costs, slower growth, and a steady outmigration of young workers. I believe Owen McCarthy represents a break from that pattern.
His Maine 2040 plan focuses on creating 50,000 new jobs in sectors where Maine has real advantages — maritime and defense, advanced forest products, and life sciences. These are export-driven industries tied directly to Maine’s workforce, geography, and institutions. What sets Owen apart is not only what he proposes, but how he approaches governing.
He prioritizes modernizing permitting so projects do not stall. He supports using technology to reduce costs and increase efficiency. He focuses on making it easier to build, hire, and expand in Maine.
That same practical mindset extends to healthcare. Expanding telehealth, strengthening EMS systems, improving provider flexibility, and shifting toward earlier intervention are not abstract reforms. They are system upgrades designed to improve access while controlling costs.
Maine voters consistently respond to competence. They reward candidates who understand problems and present plans to solve them. I believe they are tired of rhetoric that does not translate into results, and skeptical of politics that prioritizes messaging over execution.
Owen’s approach is grounded in solving the issues that shape daily life — affordability, healthcare access, job creation, and government efficiency. That is not just policy positioning. It is a governing model that speaks directly to voters.
Some will point to his lack of political experience. But I believe Maine’s core problems are not the result of insufficient political experience; they are the result of policies that have failed to deliver measurable improvement. Experience inside a broken system, by itself, is not a solution.
If Republicans want to win, this primary must be taken seriously. From my perspective, it is not about choosing a nominee for governor who can energize the base. It is about selecting someone who can compete in a broader electorate that is frustrated and looking for change.
That requires a candidate who can speak beyond the base, not by abandoning principles, but by demonstrating competence and a credible plan to address Maine’s challenges. I believe Owen McCarthy offers that combination. He represents a shift away from managed decline and toward economic execution.
This is not just another primary. It is a decision about whether Republicans position themselves to win Maine or whether they remain trapped in a cycle of repeating the same strategies and expecting different outcomes.
If Republicans want to compete for Maine’s future, they cannot afford to nominate a candidate who only motivates part of the electorate. They need someone who expands it.
I believe Owen McCarthy is that candidate.
And if the goal is to win Maine, then the choice should be unmistakable
The only notable change in the top-seven of the Varsity Maine baseball poll is that Gorham now has eight first-place votes, two more than last week. The order of the seven teams is identical. In fact, the only change in the top-seven over the past three polls is the swap at the top after Gorham’s win over South Portland on May 19.
Furthermore, Gorham, South Portland, Oxford Hills, Cheverus, Bangor, Mt. Ararat and Fryeburg have been ranked in the top seven for four straight weeks, and six of those squads have been among the top seven in every poll this spring.
Meanwhile, Scarborough is ranked for the first time since May 5, and Ellsworth and Thornton swapped spots.
The Varsity Maine baseball poll is based on games played before June 2, 2026. The top 10 teams are voted on by the Varsity Maine staff, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points.
1. Gorham (8) 89
2. South Portland 79
3. Oxford Hills (1) 75
4. Cheverus 55
5. Bangor 42
6. Mt. Ararat 41
7. Fryeburg Academy 30
8. Ellsworth 27
9. Thornton Academy 25
10. Scarborough 12
Also receiving votes: Washington Academy 8, Monmouth Academy 4, Cony 4, Leavitt 2, Falmouth 2.
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