Cassie Trask '20
Taking on New Challenges to Establish Her Future
If you ask students what they like about school you鈥檒l hear an array of answers. Cassie Trask 鈥20 answers it this way, 鈥淭here are always resources that are available and my professors are so accessible and approachable 鈥 I have even had professors answering my questions at 11 p.m. Most importantly, everyone at 麻豆传媒is so friendly. It's a really positive place to be.鈥
For Cassie, choosing to continue her education was particularly exciting. In fact, she was the first in her family to decide to make this decision. With high goals and clear determination, she applied and was accepted to UNE. 鈥淢y family were really excited to hear that I wanted to continue my education 鈥 that I wanted to do something as challenging as becoming a doctor.鈥 She is currently studying neuroscience, debating between the possibilities of entering a medical field in neurology or psychology. She also works in a lab on campus studying the common sunscreen agent benzophenone-3 (BP-3) and its effects on aquatic organisms. She presented her most recent findings, the effects of BP-3s on boldness and courtship behaviors in betta fish, during the 2018 Spring College of Arts and Sciences Symposium.
However, like the majority of first generation students, Cassie鈥檚 next milestone was dealing with the financial stresses college can cause; a process made more difficult for Cassie as she did not have anyone in her family who could effectively walk her through applying for things like financial aid.
Thankfully, early in her college career, Cassie received the Hearst Foundation Scholarship. This scholarship specifically looks to support first generation students from Maine. 鈥淏eing awarded the scholarship was the perfect end to my freshman year and I appreciate the Hearst Foundation for providing me with this wonderful opportunity which allows me to further my educational goals. I truly cannot thank them enough.鈥