Many students strive to make themselves stand out during their time at university. Fourth-year student Claudia Johnson does just that by making sure she is involved in as much as possible, both inside the classroom and out.
Johnson was born in Michigan and currently lives in Isleboro, Maine, a small island off the coast of Lincolnville. She is a contributor for Her Campus, a campus-wide online female writing organization. Johnson is also a member of Team Maine, a group of select students who provide campus resources, tours and information, and help run student orientations and other related events for incoming first-year students.
“I joined Team Maine because I wasn’t as involved when I went to Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) as I wanted to be. I came to UMaine and needed an on-campus job, and was looking to do more to be a part of the UMaine community,” Johnson said. “I saw Team Maine at the summer orientation for transfer students and became interested in joining the team, and also talked with students involved at the organization fair.”
Johnson has been a part of Team Maine for one year and hopes to continue being on the team for the rest of her fourth year. She takes pride in the friendships she has made through Team Maine and the time she gets to spend with first-year and new students. Johnson leads multiple campus tours throughout the year and works during summer orientation to familiarize students with the campus and all of its resources.
“I love Team Maine. I love talking to new people and the craziness and flexibility of the Team Maine schedule. We are a group of similarly motivated students who all are interested in academics and similar things, and we all love the school,” Johnson said. “This is a really rewarding job and you get to see the students you meet at orientation grow up and remember you from their first experiences at UMaine. Little moments like that make it so worth it.”
Johnson transferred to UMaine as a third-year in the fall of 2018 after she received an associate’s degree from SMCC. She is currently a political science student with a minor in philosophy at UMaine. After taking a government class in high school, Johnson decided that pursuing a career in politics and the government was the right choice for her.
“I thought I would go into government policy up until my internship with Senator Susan Collins,” Johnson said. “After that summer experience, I decided to major in political science and use this degree as a route to law school in the future. My experiences in the political science and international programs departments at UMaine so far have been really great, and my professors have made significant impacts on my career interests.”
Johnson loves the study of people and has enjoyed all of the political sciences classes she has taken so far, as well as the professors. She is not only a student on campus who takes classes and works for Team Maine, but she is also involved with other organizations. She has been a member of the Phi Mu fraternity executive board since December of 2018. She has been a sister in the fraternity since fall of 2018, and she is also on the Panhellenic Circle of Sisters Philanthropy Board. She likes to hang out with her sisters and friends on campus, and travel when she has the chance.
“Getting involved is really important to be successful anywhere,” Johnson said. “If you just show up to class and go right home after, you don’t feel connected to the community. By putting yourself out there and joining clubs and organizations, it helps to make UMaine feel more like home.”
Johnson continues sharing her love for involvement and a sense of community through the organizations she has joined here at UMaine.