Please share a few of your favorite memories about your time at UMA
My favorite memory would have had to been my senior year playing on the basketball team when my brother was a freshman at rival SMCC and us getting to play against each other. I also really enjoyed the comradery of the basketball team. UMA not having dorms resulted in us having to find our own living arrangements and we generally all stayed in the same apartment complex or even the same house at one point which brought us all even closer together. Being able to play your home games in the Augusta Civic Center was not a bad perk either.
How did your UMA education prepare you for the world after graduation?
I graduated with a degree in Administration of Justice and ended up becoming a police officer. My education help prepare in multiple area’s from learning criminal law, judicial process and rules of evidence before even becoming and officer. At UMA I had a lot of classes with already well-established figures in law enforcement that had a lot of experience in the field I was looking to get into. Getting to know some of them and make connections that would carry into my professional life was a huge help.
What lessons did you learn as a Moose athlete that have benefitted you as a professional? As a person?
Time management would be a huge one. Having to work, attend school fulltime and be a member of the basketball team did not leave a lot of free time. Between classes and home work to road trips with the basketball team and having to find time to work there was not a lot of margin for error or you could fall behind quickly.
What UMA coach, professor, administrator, or classmate had the most influence on your time at UMA? Why that person? What was their impact?
Two criminal justice professors, George Tomberlin and Sara Walton were two of my most influential professors. Both taught a majority of the criminal justice classes I attended. Both have an extensive background in the field and their experiences made learning the content that much easier.
In my four years playing on the basketball team I played for four different head coaches. There were times in the first few seasons we would attend games with only five players. My senior year Coach Jim Ford took over. He had a more long term and dedicated outlook for the program which is why he is still there today 12 years after I graduated. He has been a staple of the men’s basketball program bringing it light years ahead of where it was when I first started playing at UMA. His dedication and where he has the program today is extremely admirable.
What advice would you give to current and future student-athletes at UMA?
Just stay focused and push through the busy times. There will be many times as a student athlete you will ask yourself how am I supposed to do this, that and everything else with a class in the afternoon, practice at night and work in the morning. With that being said enjoy your time at UMA and take advantage of all they have to offer.
What have you been up to in your professional life?
After graduating from UMA in 2006 I was hired by the Augusta Police Department. I worked as a patrol officer for almost 3 years before being promoted to Detective in 2009. I spent the first 3 ½ years as a detective assigned to the Maine Drug Enforcement as a resident special agent. In 2012 I was sworn into the Moxie Initiative with the FBI investigating pharmacy robberies. I then converted to a more typical detective roll investigating a larger range of different crimes. This year I was promoted to Patrol Sergeant and supervise a crew of 3 officers on the mid night shift.