Abelson, who founded the Bates waterskiing club, has been waterskiing for more than 16 years and was the National Collegiate All-Star Trick Water Ski Champion in 1995. He also was named an All-American on the National Collegiate All-Star Water Ski Team that year.

On May 26, Abelson graduated magna cum laude with an interdisciplinary major in neuroscience. He was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi, a North American honor society that recognizes excellence in scientific research. Abelson has worked as a volunteer in the emergency room at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

Located midway between the coast and the mountains in south-central Maine, Bates is a 142-year-old undergraduate college of the liberal arts and sciences and is rated among the top 25 national liberal-arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report. Bates offers majors in 23 academic departments and seven interdisciplinary programs, and encourages independent study, research with faculty members and participation in off-campus programs. Bates does not require standardized-test results for admission.