Student Spotlight
Ashley Virgilio, learning leadership
Ashley Virgilio came to SMCC to study psychology. But she’s also learning about leadership and will be the only SMCC student to participate in the upcoming Maine NEW (National Education for Women) Leadership program at the University of Maine.
Ashley took some time off after high school before coming to SMCC in 2014 “to reignite dreams I thought had died.” After she graduates this fall, she plans to transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology and eventually become a counselor, a teacher or something else where she is helping others.
Ashley says taking part in the weeklong NEW program, put on by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center in June, will help her grow as a person and as a student and help her achieve her future goals.
“Leadership is not a position or a title. It is an action and an example.”
Faculty Profile
Eben Miller, hands-on history
You might associate history with books. But History Professor Eben Miller engages students with hands-on learning, whether it be studying the Declaration of Independence, listening to Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” or watching old TV sit-coms to learn about American history.
Miller has a bachelor’s degree from Bates College and a Ph.D. from George Mason University. He’s been teaching at SMCC since 2004.
Many of his students transfer after graduation to baccalaureate schools and eventually go into teaching, law, politics and many other fields.
“My history students do more than just read books — they examine documents, listen to music, and view old photos and images to get a better understanding of history.”