EMCC Student of the Year 2020

It is with great pleasure that Eastern Maine Community College awards our Student of the Year to Ethan Preble. He is an excellent representative of our campus and the Human Services Program. Ethan reimagined our Gay Straight Alliance to be the Students Advocating for Equality, which serves a wider population of disadvantaged populations (queer students and students of color, for example). He organized the Suicide Prevention fundraiser, which provided over $1,000 for the Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to serving the youth and teens of the LGBTQ+ population who are risk of suicide. He was an integral part of the business office for over a year, aiding them in a multitude of ways. Ethan’s speedy grasp of information is a tribute to his willingness to pay attention to details and ask for help when needed. He is dependable, conscientious and thoroughly understands the implications of being trusted with sensitive and deeply personal information.

Due to Ethan’s strong advocacy engagement, he has worked with residence life to create a new position, Lead RA. In this role, he is developing systems to respond to residents’ interests, needs and to increase student engagement. He has created a culture of experimenting with new activities and putting a modern tweak on old favorites. While doing this, he is tracking successes, failures and gathering new ideas. Ethan has expanded his leadership skills campus-wide, serving on the team securing NECHE reaccreditation, as well as representing the college with a recent visit from the Office of Civil Rights. Additionally, he works within the wider Bangor community to connect students to resources; Bangor Health Equity Alliance and the Mabel Wadsworth Center are just two examples.

Ethan demonstrates a strong passion for serving his peers-he is often found helping students with everything from homework, to registering for classes, to completing forms for financial aid. He is an asset to everyone in his residence hall, his classes, on EMCC campus and the wider community of Maine. As a student pursuing a professional human services career, Ethan is cognizant that his experiences as a student leader will serve him well. He consistently exhibits maturity and compassion with his behavior and decision making. EMCC is continuously impressed with this young man. It is our privilege to name him the Student of the Year for 2020.