Fourth-year marketing and management student Danielle Weaver has made sure there has never been a dull moment during her last year as a Black Bear. Transferring from the University of Maine Augusta after receiving an associate degree in business administration, Weaver started her new journey in Orono and has loved it ever since.
Currently working in her southern Maine hometown as a barista at an employee owned co-op, she takes pride in working hard. She is a Dean’s List student and is currently taking classes remotely from home and commuting for one in-person class two days every week.
During the summers, Danielle takes advantage of her commercial license for lobstering and has been working on lobster boats since she was 12 years old. During the school year, Danielle is involved in the Phi Mu Fraternity as the academic chair on the executive committee and is in Beta Gamma Sigma, the Business School honors society.
“One thing that really helped me when switching schools was to get involved with Greek life,” Weaver said. “I also had a few friends who already went to UMaine, and reached out to them when I first got there. The transfer floors at UMaine were also really helpful because I found a lot of people who weren’t in my major but were upperclassmen like I was and didn’t have an established group of friends.”
At UMaine Augusta, Weaver was a completely-online student who also managed to work full time. Benefitting from already knowing the hardships and advantages of taking online classes, Weaver is tackling this semester by using her past experiences to her advantage.
Weaver’s favorite classes at UMaine have been Legal Environment of Business with Professor Devin DeMarco and International Business with Professor Stephano Tijerina. Her favorite classes this semester are Canada and United States Business Comparison with Professor Tijerina and her Independent Study centered around making a business plan for a lobster processing company in Maine. She enjoys being able to learn about business and apply her knowledge to the lobster industry that has been a large part of her life.
“Don’t focus completely on academics. I stressed myself out with whether or not I would be able to do well in college, even though I had always been a good student,” Weaver said. “Remember to get involved with other things, like clubs and organizations. Also, [your first year] is the absolute best time to be making friends and connecting with others in your year or classes or major. Take advantage of it. Make sure to have fun as well as work hard in classes.”
Weaver’s favorite activities to join in at UMaine include watching the football games, grabbing food on campus and sitting with her sorority sisters and friends in the Memorial Union.
“I know most people enjoy the hockey games here, but I only had the chance to go to one of the women’s games,” Weaver said. “I enjoy the football games because it’s fun to go with friends. Also, anything to do with fall is a yes for me.”
Weaver also likes to attend rock concerts, shop at her favorite restaurants and listen to music. Her favorite local stores are Mexicali Blues and the Rock and Art Shop in downtown Bangor.
“If you’re from a more rural part of Maine like I am, one great part about Bangor is the food,” Weaver said. “There are so many different things to try that you wouldn’t be able to find in the remote parts of Maine. Explore them! Orono has a lot of restaurants and Bangor has even more. There are some really fun ones to go into and a lot of fun events around Orono and Bangor!”
Her favorite events are the Waterfront Concerts in Bangor, which are outdoor concerts normally that run from May until the end of September. She also enjoys seeing concerts by her favorite bands in Portland at venues such as the Maine State Theatre and Aura.
“I think my favorite memory hasn’t really been any of the big events I have gotten to see or anything like that, it’s been the times hanging out with friends and grabbing coffee or food together,” Weaver said. “That is why I’ll miss the community that school has. It’s really nice having people around your age who are all trying to figure out adult life just like you are. The community is really helpful in that there is always someone going through the same thing as you and they’re almost always already in your group of friends or a friend of a friend.”
