WATERVILLE — For Adrienne Carmack, service was pretty much second nature.

The Maine native who will graduate Sunday from Colby College has had her hands in a number of projects, most all of which involve social justice activism. Growing up in Veazie, Maine — which is outside of Bangor — Carmack said pretty much all she experienced growing up was white culture. Growing up in central Maine, she said she wanted to serve her community.

After a year with AmeriCorps, she went to Colby. Now, four years later, she’s left her mark on Waterville. The 2018 recipient of the Condon award, which is voted on by Colby students, has a track record of volunteering in the city and on campus.

“I felt I had an obligation to speak out against racism and sexism,” Carmack said.

Carmack has been an organizer in a number of political rallies in Waterville in her time at Colby. She helped organized the Planned Parenthood Team Generation on the Colby campus, as well as a rally to support Lexius Saint Martin, a Waterville refugee who was deported back to his native homeland of Haiti.

“It seemed like a lot of outcry but no organizing,” she said. She and her friends introduced themselves to the attorney on the case, and eventually met the family. She and others organized a phone calling campaign, and then later a rally in downtown Waterville.

“That was a really special event,” she said, adding that in 5-degree weather, a crowd of people showed up to support the man who was later deported.

“What’s needed is more broader immigration reform,” she said.

After AmeriCorps, Carmack has worked with Breakthrough Greater Boston, and Hardy Girls Healthy Women. She has also worked with the Sharon Abrams Teen Parent School program, which is run through the Maine Children’s Home for Little Wanderers.

In an online release from Colby, College President David Greene said Carmack “has a contagious desire to improve the lives of those around her, and a gifted ability to communicate with others.”

Carmack, who said she plans to go on to either graduate or law school eventually, also organized the protest regarding President Donald Trump’s executive order to prohibit citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. She was also a fellow on former Secretary of State Hilliary Clinton’s campaign for the White House.

Carmack helped organize a social justice march in Waterville, which drew roughly 300 people to City Hall to protest against police brutality. The protest was a sister march to the national March for Racial Justice held Saturday in Washington, D.C.

Carmack said her commitment to social and racial justice fell into place because of her experience growing up in Maine. She had to take a gap year between high school and college for health reasons, and decided to volunteer with AmeriCorps in Bangor. Initially she had thought of volunteering abroad, since she wanted to do something service oriented, but decided she wanted to help locally.

“I had this opportunity to contribute to a dialogue and make space for a dialogue,” she said.

Carmack will be one of about 480 students graduating from Colby College on Sunday, with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins as the commencement speaker.

Colin Ellis — 861-9253

cellis@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @colinoellis

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