FORT KENT, Maine – UMFK celebrated its 144th annual graduation ceremony on Saturday morning, with speakers and students emphasizing the importance of perseverance and empathy in future endeavors.
A total of 195 UMFK students graduated this year, with 69 marching on Saturday.
The 10 a.m. ceremony began with remarks from UMFK President Deb Hedeen, who first took a moment to recognize graduating students in the military. She then congratulated all graduates for their time and dedication.
“We have enjoyed watching you explore and develop your talent, leadership skills and career path,” Hedeen said. “We are all incredibly proud of our graduates who have shown remarkable resilience, determination and persistence during their time at UMFK.”
Hedeen introduced commencement speaker Lisa Harvey-McPherson, whose healthcare career spans several decades. She is currently vice president of governance relations at Northern Light Health. The university also awarded Harvey-McPherson with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters for her lifelong nursing advocacy.
Harvey-McPherson encouraged graduates to embrace new opportunities and to be open to new opportunities, even if they seem scary at first.
“Do this because the world you are entering needs you,” she said. “It needs your compassion in a time of division. It needs your integrity to define the problem and advance solutions. And it needs your willingness to lead – whether that’s in a hospital, a classroom, a community, or in the halls of government.”
Kelly Martin, a representative of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees, said that as a proud member of the greater Fort Kent community, it has been a privilege to witness the students graduate. Martin commented on the rapidly evolving world that students are now entering, with artificial intelligence and renewed exploration of the moon.
“Even as the world advances, one thing remains constant: our need for human kindness,” Martin said. “So, I encourage you to let your knowledge be guided by compassion, let your curiosity be paired with empathy and may you always lead with your heart.”
Blair Kelly, President of the Alumni Association, spoke to graduates and guests about the three phrases on the school’s new Landmark sculpture, recently created by Maine artist Robert Brochu. The three phrases, “Know this land,” “Find your path,” and “Make your mark,” all signify a call to action about remembering roots, pursuing goals with purpose, and touching the lives of others through generosity and service, Kelly said.
Class speaker Georgia Burton’s accomplishments include being a 2025 Undergraduate Research Fellow at the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, has been President of the International Student Organization, and who was USCAA Track and Field Student Athlete of the Year in 2024 and 2026 and UMFK Student Athlete of the Year in 2025.
Several audience members cheered and applauded for Burton as soon as Hedeen introduced her.
Burton emphasized the importance of adaptability, balancing academics with other responsibilities, and the importance of pushing past uncomfortable or challenging circumstances in order to grow.
Burton, who received a bachelor’s in biology, used an extended biology metaphor throughout her speech. She compared the process of homeostasis to her fellow students’ adaptability and the way the skeletal muscles experience microtears and later repair during exercise academic and personal growth.
“We grow when challenges push us beyond our current limits, transforming stress into strength and potential achievement,” Burton said.
She quoted civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.’s statement about moving forward amid all circumstances: “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
“Class of 2026, we kept moving forward,” Burton said. “Through stress. Through fear. Through doubt. Through change. And in this moment, we don’t just celebrate a milestone. We celebrate who we became on the way here.”
