Unforgettable moments flooded May and June at Bates as the academic year closed. But our hearts were open. Revisit just a few of the experiences of faculty, students, staff — and alumni and parents — in this concluding edition of This Month at Bates.
Aspirations
Bates welcomes a group of Lewiston eighth graders for the college’s Aspiration Day in May. Each year, a series of Aspiration Days aims to introduce the students to potential post-high school pathways, including college, career, and trade opportunities. Bates’ Aspirations Club organizes the visits and additional mentorship efforts in the community, in conjunction with the Harward Center for Community Partnerships.
Sixteen Fulbrighters
This spring, Bates received an abundance of Fulbright Student international exchange awards, and 16 recent Bates alumni will soon set off for destinations around the world. Celebrating the good news in May (from left) are Fulbright Student awardees from the Class of 2026 Katie Heumann, Aiman Hasan, Jacqueline Coraci, Charles “Lee” Anderson, Wilson Smith, Ava Elghanayan, Lucy Sterba, Evelyn Marchand, Sydney Wilmot, Ganga Corsaro, Kyra Chen Lie Friederich, Luciana Zaiet, and Blessing Ajayi. At front is Director of National Fellowships and Lecturer in English Robert Strong. Three of this year’s Fulbright awardees Maple Buescher ’25, Eileen Dockery ’26, and Alexander Duchin ’26, are not pictured.
Clayton Unveiling
In May, Bates President Garry W. Jenkins, at left, and Mike Bonney ’80 unveil a portrait of Clayton Spencer, Jenkins’ predecessor and the eighth president of Bates College, during a ceremony in Bonney Science Center. The portrait, by Massachusetts-based artist Mary Minifie, hangs in Bonney’s first-floor Zhang Living Room.
Softball’s Golden Anniversary
In Commons’ Fireplace Lounge on May 2, Bates softball players and coaches, past and present, gather for the program’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Exiting Through the Gift Shop
From left, Caroline McCarthy ’26, Jacobo Garces-Ramirez ’26, and Rosina Makwabe ’26 run a pop-up gift shop in the Olin Arts Center Lobby on May 19. The gift shop was the culmination of the Short Term course “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” taught by Visiting Assistant Professor of Art and Visual Culture Erin Nolan, during which students designed and built a selection of products based on student artwork.
Row On
Led by coxswain Sara Maquera ’28 of Glenview, Ill., the men’s varsity four races in the Marlow Regatta at Dorney Lake, Eton, England, as they prepare for the Royal Henley Regatta, the first time the Bates rowing program has traveled “across the pond” to compete since 2009. From left to right are Maquera, John Cleary ’28, Bryce Ahn ’29, Thomas Pacinda ’28, and Kelly McKaige ’26.
Home Win
Men’s lacrosse players huddle during a May 8 NCAA tournament game against SUNY Cortland, which they won 17-9.
Celebrating Theses, Together
From left, Class of 2026 graduates and best friends since the first week at Bates, Kayleigh Flaherty, Lauren Cockrill, and Mallory Johnson celebrate their theses bindings together on May 12. Their majors were, respectively, East Asian studies and biology, biochemistry, and sociology.
Breaking Ground for Stoddard
Bates President Garry W. Jenkins, at center, led the May 1 groundbreaking ceremony for the Stoddard Fitness and Well-Being Center, slated to open in late 2027. Jenkins was joined by many Bates community members, including Jon W. Brayshaw ’90, P’25 and Jocelyn Stoddard Brayshaw ’88, P’25, whose $10 million gift was instrumental in bringing this much-anticipated project to fruition.
Glad to Be a Grad
Aydan Gedeon-Hope ’26, second from right, celebrates his graduation during the Bates Senior Student-Athlete Reception in May. Gedeon-Hope was a multi-sport Bobcat — a sprinter on the track and field team and a basketball player.
Illuminating Coram
In Coram Library’s IMStudios in May, Eileen Dockery ’26 installs lanterns for her senior thesis exhibition, “Blueprints of Future Memories.” The immersive lantern installation was the culmination of an independent study in cyanotype printmaking that explored memory and photography connected to Dockery’s recollections of Vietnam, where she lived as a young girl.
Lindos Earns NCAA Honors
Alisandra Lindos ’29 of Westbrook, Maine, competes in the triple jump during the NCAA Championships in La Crosse, Wis., in May. Lindos took home 15th place in the event, earning second team All-America honors.
Hello Free Laundry
From left, Aleisha Martinez Sandoval ’26, Trinity Monstwillo ’26, Mohammad Zayd ’27, and Zachariah Richards ’26 gather in May to celebrate the advent of free laundry for all Bates students, a change slated for Fall 2026. The four campaigned for the cause throughout their time at Bates.
Hot Off the Press
Drafts of the newly redesigned Bates Magazine sit ready for proofing at Penmor Lithographers, a Lewiston printing company and longtime partner of Bates Communications and Marketing.
Employee Enrichment
Leana Amáez, left, vice president for equity and inclusion, chats with Dana Bosse, talent acquisition specialist, during the Front Porch Perk-Up, an event hosted by Human Resources as part of Bates’ June Employee Enrichment Week.
Scratch ’Em Cats
On May 5, Bates athletes, coaches, and staff gather in Merrill Gymnasium for the 2026 CATSBYS, Bates Athletics’ annual celebration of the year’s standout athletic performances.
Exhibition Loading…
On June 10, Kenny Rosen installs frames in the Bates Museum of Art ahead of the opening of Phyllis Graber Jensen: Pictures Stories. The exhibition, on display until Sept. 19, chronicles the prolific work of Graber Jensen, the college’s longtime director of photography and video, across more than 50 years, including the 31 she has spent at Bates.
Golf Championship
Emma Lavallee ’29 of Chestnut Hill, Mass., competes at the NESCAC Championships in May in Williamstown, Mass. Lavallee turned in the best hole of the tournament for the Bobcats, eagling the par-5 18th hole on Sunday, with the Bobcats ultimately finishing 8th overall.
Thesis Joy
Enathe Muhawenimana ’26, center, who double majored in biochemistry and French and Francophone studies, poses with friends after binding her two theses. From left, there’s Deborah Hirwa Asiimwe ’28; Ornella Nibasumba, who works in Commons; Enathe; Addy Stephane Ntwali, a first-year student at Boston College; and Solomon Kayobotsi ’29.
Champions Again
Greta Oberdiek ’28 of Merion Station, Penn., exalts after the women’s rowing team secures their eighth NESCAC title at the National Invitational Rowing Championship on May 10 in Worcester, Mass.
SCBC Celebration
Bates President Garry W. Jenkins, standing at right, and his husband Jon J. Lee greet Bates community members during the Student Center for Belonging and Community Senior Celebration Dinner.
Preparing the Historic Quad
In the days before Bates’ 160th Commencement in May, Facility Services set up chairs on the Historic Quad facing Coram Library. It’s a quiet scene, but soon the Quad would be bustling with soon-to-be-grads, their family and friends, and Bates and Lewiston community members.
‘Be You, Bravely’
On May 30, Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies Stephanie Kelley-Romano gives the Baccalaureate Address to the Class of 2026. Candidly sharing her own struggle with, then recovery from, substance abuse as a student, Kelley-Romano offered poignant advice about being oneself’s and persevering through life’s low points.
Doggedly in Search of Diplomas
A dog sporting a Bates bandana strolls on campus ahead of the 160th Commencement on Sunday, May 31.
And They’re Off
In one of their final group activities before becoming alumni, graduating seniors from the Class of 2026 gather on Garcelon Field for their senior photo.
Commencement Festivities
Bates’ 160th Commencement speaker Deborah Harkness, center, prepares to process into the ceremony on Alumni Walk, with Bates President Garry W. Jenkins at her right. In her Commencement address, Harkness, professor emerita of history at the University of Southern California and bestselling author of the All Souls series, used the pursuit of alchemy as a metaphor for striving to achieve one’s “great work,” even in difficult circumstances.
They Did It!
Issac Nimako ’26, a politics and studio art double major, cheers while crossing the Coram Library stage at Commencement.
The New Maine MILL
Tristan Seavey ’26, left, an intern at Lewiston’s Maine Museum of Innovation, Labor, and Learning (Maine MILL), and Maine MILL Executive Director Rachel Ferrante ’10 walk around the museum’s new building. The larger space with enhanced facilities for education, exhibitions, and community-building opens to the public on June 27.
Delicious Arrangements
Bates community members enjoy snacks during “The Delicious World of Charcuterie,” a course on arranging charcuterie boards offered to staff during Employee Enrichment Week.
Jenkins On the Court
Bates President Garry W. Jenkins enjoys a game of pickleball in Merrill Gymnasium during Bates’ Enrichment Week. After that morning’s annual 5K was canceled due to poor weather conditions, Bates pivoted to a Community Movement Hour in Merrill including cornhole, ladder golf, a cardio dance session, and boot camp exercises.
Together Again
Bates Reunion brought together Batesies present and past — and, considering their children who tagged along, maybe even future — for a weekend of reminiscing and building new memories together. Weekend activities included a lobster bake, a 5K, and visits to sites around campus and Lewiston.
Faculty Featured
Erin H. Nolan
Visiting Assistant Professor of Art and Visual Culture
Stephanie Kelley-Romano
Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies
Garry W. Jenkins
President and Professor of Politics
Categories BatesNews
