Alumni Spotlight
Matt McAdam, green thumb
Matt McAdam worked at a Yarmouth garden center for an internship while he was a horticulture student at SMCC. Now, he works there full-time in his chosen career field.
Matt grew up on his family’s apple orchard, McDougal Orchards, in Sanford. After high school he studied horticulture at SMCC, where he graduated in 2010, and later earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental horticulture at the University of Maine.
He then worked for three years for Cherryfield Foods, one of North America’s largest blueberry growers and processors. While at Cherryfield Foods, he was the Grower Relations Manager and Spray Program Coordinator. He managed over 16,000 acres of wild blueberries from near the Canadian border all the way down to New Hampshire.
He returned to southern Maine in 2015, when he took a job in the nursery at Estabrook’s, the same place he had worked when he was an SMCC student. Both the owner and the nursery manager are also SMCC graduates.
SMCC served as a springboard for Matt’s horticulture career. His long-term goal is to go back and run the family farm, in Sanford, as the eighth generation.
“I’m really happy I chose SMCC. The program’s phenomenal: lots of hands-on experience, small class sizes, and all the professors have experience in the field. There are all kinds of opportunities for students with a horticulture degree, from farms to nurseries to landscaping businesses.”
Student profile
Mary Joy, a world of opportunity
Mary Joy grew up on a remote island off eastern Maine and was ready to experience something new when it came time for college. She decided to study Hospitality Management at SMCC, knowing that the hospitality field has countless opportunities all around the world.
Mary’s family lives on Swan’s Island, where lobstering is the main occupation. For high school, she took a ferry every day to Mount Desert Island, where she attended Mount Desert Island High School.
When it came time for college, she knew she was ready to get off the island, live in a new world and experience her own thing.
“I chose SMCC for its location, affordability and its hospitality program. I don’t yet know exactly what I want to do, but I know I can go anywhere and do anything in the hospitality field.”