PORTLAND, Maine — Dozens of graduation ceremonies are happening across Maine this month, but Unity Environmental University’s commencement in Portland featured a speaker many graduates grew up watching: Bill Nye the Science Guy.

For marine biology graduate Tammi Martel-Crane, meeting Nye was a full-circle moment years in the making.

“I looked up to him, and I wanted to be like him,” Martel-Crane said. “I wanted to emulate him, his personality, his conservation initiatives, and everything.”

Martel-Crane said her passion for conservation started when she was just a child and later grew into a fascination with coral reef ecosystems. After pursuing other career paths in life, that passion eventually led her to Unity Environmental University in New Gloucester.

“I just really focused on finding a school that was eco-friendly and really concerned about the environment,” she said.

The university’s commencement ceremony celebrated more than 1,300 graduates, making it the largest graduating class in school history, according to faculty.

Graduates crossed the stage as family members applauded and classmates celebrated years of hard work. But for many students, one of the most memorable moments came when they heard from the scientist and television personality whose lessons first sparked their interest in environmental science.

“We need big ideas, we need big new things,” Nye told graduates during his speech. “That’s what these graduates are going to do—they’re going to manage these big ideas.”

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Nye encouraged students to tackle major global challenges such as climate change, conservation, and habitat loss as they enter the workforce.

“It’s up to them; they’re in charge now. We have to run this whole planet, and we absolutely can’t consider ourselves separate from the ecosystem,” Nye said.  

President Melik Peter Khoury said the kind of passion Nye has for science and environmental protection is shared by the graduates.

“He embodies what our graduates are striving to be,” Khoury said. “Folks who understand the science, who understand the workforce, and how you communicate that to the world.” 

Khoury added that graduates are already heading into careers aimed at making a difference.

“We’ve got graduates going to work in aquaculture farms, we’ve got graduates starting their own green businesses,” he said. “We have two graduates, one that’s going to L.L. Bean and the other to Jackson Labs.”

Tiana Montanez is one of those graduates trying to make a difference and said the education they received has prepared them for a wide range of environmental and animal care work.

“If I’m needed in a certain place like an animal rehab center or with nutrition plans or enrichment programs, I want be like, ‘Ok, yeah, I can do that,’” Montanez said.

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In addition to preparing her for a career, Montanez said university staff were very accommodating of her schedule as she finished her time serving in the U.S. Army.

“I knew I wanted to go to school, because I love school and I knew my passion was animals and the environment, but I didn’t know when I was going to be able to, and they helped with that.” Montanez said.

For Montanez and other students, shaking hands with Nye as they walked to receive their diplomas was a surreal way to celebrate years of hard work.

“I was trying not to pass out because I was like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’” Montanez said.

Martel-Crane said the interaction with Nye reminded her of the admiration she had watching him as a child.

“I still aspire to be like him as I grow up,” she said.

For Nye, he said it was a full circle moment, encouraging the graduates that looked up to him as children to carry on his work of protecting the environment. 

“We had a vision—change the world, that was the idea” Nye said. “But to have so many people embrace it and go into these fields, it’s just amazing.” 

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