Young Professionals Institute ends year with King visit

    PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The 6th annual Young Professionals Institute wrapped up on April 30 in the University of Maine at Presque Isle Campus Center with the usual excellent presentation by participants about what they learned during their eight-week short course. A small difference for this year’s YPI participants, however, was the addition of U.S. Sen. Angus King as one of the audience members.    YPI is a leadership development short course hosted by UMPI, Maine Mutual Group Insurance and Momentum Aroostook that is designed specifically for emerging leaders looking to hone their professional skills. This year’s Institute focused on the workplace of the future and the skills employers are looking for in prospective employees and candidates for advancement — including innovation, team work, communication, decision-making and prioritization.
During the eight weeks of YPI, participants took part in role-playing scenarios that refined their abilities to pitch proposals and deliver presentations, conducted mock interviews that gave them experience in working with the media, networked with local officials and statewide leaders, and visited MMG Insurance, The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle and Cary Medical Center in Caribou to take part in on-site business simulation exercises.
Each year during their final class, YPI participants deliver a showcase presentation on what they’ve learned in YPI to area business and community leaders and past YPI grads. This year, the final class kicked off with a special talk on leadership and Maine’s own Joshua Chamberlain by Sen. King. The senator visited several places in Aroostook County on April 30, including both of Presque Isle’s institutions of higher education, and wanted to visit the final YPI 6 class.
Following his talk, King sat in on the leadership talks and activities delivered by this year’s YPI participants. These included mini-sessions on “gamification” (the use of game-thinking and game mechanics in a non-game context in order to engage users and solve problems) strategies, communication in the workplace and work/life optimization.
After the presentation, all attendees enjoyed a reception and social networking opportunity, and then each YPI participant was presented with an award for their completion of the short course.
YPI 6 graduates include: Amy Bouchard of ACAP/Healthy Aroostook; Jenna Bradstreet, Timothy Boyce, Brandon Hale and Eric Miller of MMG Insurance; Lynn Dube and Benjamin Everett of TAMC; Jason Grant, Tina Ireland and Cole Putnam of McCain Foods; Ben McQuade of NorState Federal Credit Union; Jennifer Plant and Bethany Zell of Cary Medical Center; Tyler Rowe of Katahdin Trust Company; and Trent Tompkins of Ace Rent-A-Car.