FARMINGTON — Best-selling Maine author Monica Wood will address students and their families Saturday as the University of Maine at Farmington graduates its 2024 class.
The ceremony will be held off-campus at 11 a.m. at the outdoor Narrow Gauge Amphitheater behind Narrow Gauge Cinemas downtown. No tickets are required.
Jacob Patrick Turlo of Benton will deliver the student address. He will receive a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Turlo participated in the UMF travel course to Washington, D.C. where he learned about the political workings of the federal government, visited the White House, and with his group, met with members of the Maine Congressional Delegation.
He was encouraged by UMF professor of political science Jim Melcher to apply for a yearlong research scholarship as a Maine Policy Scholar and recently presented his research on how to better recruit and retain special educators in Maine.
While at UMF, Turlo was involved with the Sustainable Campus Coalition and played on the Ultimate Disc club sports team.
Best-selling Maine author Monica Wood University of Maine at Farmington
Wood, the commencement speaker, is an award-winning novelist, memoirist and playwright. Originally from Mexico and now residing in Portland, her writing tells character-driven stories about life-changing events. She was named the 2024 recipient of the Sarah Josepha Hale Award for excellence in the arts in New England. The Hale Award has been given to distinguished writers since 1956. Notable recipients include Robert Frost, Ogden Nash and Arthur Miller.
Her newest novel, “How to Read a Book,” has secured translation rights in five countries. Her previous novel, the best-selling “The One-in-a-Million Boy” has been translated into 20 languages in over 30 countries.
Wood will also collect an an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.
In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. in the Fitness and Recreation Center on the UMF campus. Tickets are distributed to students for their guests and will be required if the ceremony is held indoors.
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