Sarah Curtin ’19 will deliver the Valedictorian Message at Saint Joseph’s College’s 2019 Commencement Exercises on May 11th. The daughter of Michael and Nancy Curtin, Sarah was raised in Strafford, New Hampshire and attended Coe-Brown Northwood Academy. She selected Biology as her major because she has always enjoyed her science classes and it gives her flexibility for job opportunities and career paths in the future. She was also selected for a grant through the Maine Space Grant Consortium and funded by NASA to investigate the genetic diversity of variable leaf milfoil in the Sebago Lake region under the supervision of Dr. Lucas Bernacki. She spent the summer of 2018 collecting and analyzing samples from local lakes like Little Sebago and Panther Run Marina on Sebago.
Sarah Curtin '19 in the science labs on campus.
Photo by Emma Joyce
Sarah has been on the Dean's List every semester and was inducted to the Delta Epsilon Sigma Chapter her junior year, for which she served as vice president. Sarah ran cross country and indoor/outdoor track and field for the Monks all four years. She was GNAC Runner of the week in 2016, team captain for three years, received the GNAC Sportsmanship award in 2016, was named All-Conference in 2016 and 2018 for cross country, and holds multiple school records in track. Off the field, Sarah has worked as a Resident Advisor on campus since her sophomore year. She was elected as the senior class secretary, and is a member of the Pre-Professional Science Club. This spring, Sarah attended Spring Break Workfest through the Mercy Center and worked with Habitat for Humanity in Alabama.
Over the summer of her junior year, Sarah worked as an intern for the Maine State Police Crime Lab. She entered data in the national Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database and observed procedures in all their labs. The internship culminated in a court trip to observe the analysts testify, and a trip to the Medical Examiner's office to watch an autopsy. Sarah hopes to use her experience and degree to get more experience in the biological field before attending graduate school.
The Class of 2019 Commencement Exercises will be held Saturday, May 11th, at 10 AM. More information can be found at www.sjcme.edu/graduation
About Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
Founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine, Saint Joseph’s College is Maine’s Catholic liberal arts college with a commitment to sustainability and wellness. The 474-acre campus, located on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and a nationally renown Division III athletic program to a population of approximately 1,000 on-campus students. The College provides certificates and undergraduate and advanced degrees for thousands more working adults who reside throughout the United States and in more than 20 other countries through an online learning program. In 2018 Princeton Review named SJC one of America’s “Greenest Colleges” and in 2015 the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recognized the College’s focus on community service through its mission and daily interactions with local, regional, and global communities with the Community Engagement Classification. For more information, see www.sjcme.edu.
