Piper Stagg • Derry Member

Dear Derry Family,

As a recipient of the Derry Youth Servant Leadership Scholarship, I wanted to share an update on how the scholarship has gone towards my education. I am enrolled at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine, and I am in my sophomore year.

As a freshman, I began pursuing degrees in Marine Science and Outdoor Business & Innovation. I am a member of the newly established Plankton Ecology Lab, led by Professor Trica Thibodeau. Through the fall and spring, I was part of a team that analyzed data on the abundance of copepods, a type of zooplankton, in an Oxygen Minimum Zone in the southeastern Pacific Ocean to understand better how the food webs in the area will change as the Oxygen Minimum Zone expands. We presented our findings at the University’s spring research symposium. I made the Dean’s List for both the fall and spring semesters.

This year I am continuing my work in the Plankton Ecology Lab, and my research will be focused on cataloging and identifying the species of plankton that live in the waters of the Saco River and nearby Saco Bay. I will continue exploring these waters during my free time as I become SCUBA certified through the university’s SCUBA Club. I am joining the team of Student Ambassadors and I will be facilitating tours for prospective students and families.

I am grateful for the opportunity to pursue my education at UNE, which was made possible in part by the Brong Scholarship. If anyone from the Derry family is ever in Maine, please don’t hesitate to reach out!