UMaine’s Davis Thinks About Food–A Lot
Brady Davis, a senior Business Management major, says the opportunity to participate in UMaine’s Honors College sold him on enrolling at UMaine. He’s turned that decision into a variety of learning and social experiences that will help him advance issues related to food and economic sustainability.
A native of Freeport, Maine, Davis visited a number of college campuses before deciding where to enroll. While in Orono, he visited the university’s Maine Business School (MBS) and met with faculty members. Davis also observed Honors preceptorials (facilitated small-group discussions). He says the Honors College’s small classes and student-led discussions drew him to UMaine and to joining the Honors College.
“I gained a much greater appreciation for diversity in the Honors program, both in the curriculum and in the various backgrounds of students in class,” Davis said of his college visit. “I never got that sense of comfort and homey feel [elsewhere] that I got at UMaine.”
Davis is making the most of his UMaine experience. He is a fellow at the Sustainable Food Systems Research Collaborative (SFSRC), an initiative of the Honors College funded by the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions. This past summer, Davis worked with Afton Hupper ’17 on researching and summarizing scholarly articles on food hubs. Davis recently attended a National Collegiate Honors Council Conference (NCHC) in Seattle. The annual conference attracts nearly 2,000 administrators, staff, faculty, and students involved in Honors programs and colleges around the world. Davis co-presented a poster titled “Community Food Hub: A Business Model to Fight Hunger,” and co-led a roundtable discussion titled “Opportunities and Challenges: Integrating Honors College Student Leadership with Student Government.”
Davis is the current president of Senior Skulls, an honor society that promotes campus excellence and traditions, and serves on the Honors College Student Advisory Board. Davis is also a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, a student ambassador of MBS, and a co-ambassador of the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute.
Davis is currently working on an Honors thesis on the sustainability of Maine’s artisanal cheese-making. After graduating in May, Davis hopes to gain work experience in his field or travel abroad. Davis believes that an experience outside of his comfort zone will expand his worldview. He says he intends to link his business education with an aspect of sustainable development in the food system or another sector of the economy. Davis plans to work on implementing sustainable solutions to some of the most pressing social, economic, and environmental issues from a business perspective.
—by Aliya Uteuova ’18
Each month the UMaine Alumni Association, with support from
University Credit Union, recognizes an outstanding UMaine student
whose leadership on campus and in the classroom are making a difference.