Bangor Daily News
By BDN Community
Saturday April 16, 2022
FARMINGTON – The University of Maine at Farmington is
honored to announce that Deqa Dhalac, community activist, mayor of South
Portland and first Somali-born female mayor in the U.S., will be the
Commencement Speaker for the UMF Class of 2022.
This year’s ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday,
May 7, at a new, larger, outdoor facility, close to the UMF campus. With the
beautiful Western Maine mountains in the background, this year’s UMF
Commencement exercises will take place on the grounds of the Narrow Gauge
Outdoor Venue, located off Front Street in Farmington near UMF’s Prescott
Field.
“It is with a great
sense of pride that we welcome Deqa Dhalac as this year’s UMF Commencement
speaker. Her work as a human rights advocate, community activist and visionary
leader is a wonderful example of the power of education and her personal
commitment to positive change,” said UMF President Edward Serna. “Throughout
her life she has worked tirelessly to help promote a welcoming and diverse
community. Her practical approach, dynamic leadership and message of equality
and inclusion is a source of inspiration to our graduates and graduates
throughout the country.”
Dhalac is an inspirational leader, community activist and
organizer with a long history of advocacy for better housing, jobs, and
schools; an end to racism; and changes in a community to make everyone feel
welcome and included.
Her vision of hope was born in Somalia, a country on the
precipice of war. Her leadership style is rooted in her native Somali culture
and her life experiences. At a young age, she was strongly influenced by her
pro-democracy activist father who believed in the value of education and
women’s important role in the family.
Due to the events that led to the Somali Civil War, Dhalac
left her homeland in 1990, traveling to Italy, England and Canada to eventually
settle in Atlanta, where she began raising her family and community organizing
around voting rights. She relocated to Lewiston and its friendly Somali
community. There, she became an interpreter for Catholic Charities of Maine and
worked for the city of Portland helping people arriving from refugee camps,
before opening her own interpreting service.
Upon relocating to South Portland, she served as
Intercultural Program Manager for The Center for Grieving Children and a South
Portland Schools Community Builder for the Opportunity Alliance.
Pursuing her interests in community building, counseling and
education, Dhalac earned a master’s degree in development policy and practice
at the University of New Hampshire. She earned a second master’s degree in
social work from the University of New England.
She currently serves on the Somali Community Center of
Maine, is board president of the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition, and board
member of the Maine Women’s Fund.
“I believe we can [solve our issues] if we put our minds and
hearts in the right place,” said Dhalac.
Dhalac was elected to the South Portland City Council in
2018. She made national headlines when she was elected as mayor of South
Portland in 2021 by unanimous vote. She is the first Somali-born female mayor
in the United States.
UMF graduating senior and class president, Alexandria J.
Banks-Mitchell, will give the student address. Banks-Mitchell, from Hudson,
Massachuseets, is graduating with a degree in interdisciplinary liberal
studies.
During her time at Farmington, she has been involved with
multiple facets of the University, many of which work closely with prospective
and incoming students. She has served as an admissions ambassador, orientation
leader, Summer Experience mentor and intern, and helped with incoming students in
the University’s Honors Program. She also participated in the Collegiate
Leadership Competition in 2021 and was selected as the MVP.
She currently serves as the intern for university club
sports – unique student-led sports teams that give students the opportunity to
play a sport they love during their college years without the intensity of
varsity athletic team responsibilities.
She is captain of the UMF women’s rugby team and president
of the rugby club sport organization. She has also found time to be a member of
the dance team, work with the Radio Club and take part in Alpha Phi Omega, a
national service fraternity.
A health and personal training advocate, she is excited and
looking forward to continuing to be involved with rugby and strength and conditioning
coaching. “I am so grateful to UMF where I found what really spoke to me,” said
Banks-Mitchell.
The National Anthem will be sung by graduating senior Graci
E. Wiseman from Kenduskeag, an outdoor recreation and business administration
major.
Edward A. Serna, UMF president, and Eric C. Brown, UMF
provost and vice president for academic affairs, will confer the degrees.
David MacMahon, member of the University of Maine System,
Board of Trustees, will deliver greetings to the graduates.
Additional event
details
The UMF 2022 Commencement ceremony will be a live, in-person
event. The new venue offers plenty of room for students, guests, and alumni, so
tickets won’t be necessary. For spectators who can’t sit outdoors, limited
indoor seating and a live feed of the event will also be available. In case of
inclement weather, see event updates at https://www.umf.maine.edu/. Parking and
additional information can be found at:
https://www.umf.maine.edu/commencement-2022/.
The UMF Commencement ceremony will be webcast live at
Commencement 2022 – Streaming Video – UMF (maine.edu).
To connect with UMF on social media visit:
Instagram @umainefarmington or Facebook @umainefarmington.