Four Scholars Elected to the Mitchell Institute Alumni Council in 2025 
Elliott Simpson, the 2014 Mitchell Scholar from Hampden Academy and President of the Mitchell Institute Alumni Council (MIAC), announced today that four fellow Mitchell Scholars have been elected to serve two-year terms on the alumni service organization, and a new President and Vice President will begin serving one-year terms in June.
Jesse Blackburn, Nicole Cloud, Román Habibzai, and John Layman (pictured above, left to right) will begin serving on the Alumni Council at the annual MIAC retreat to be held at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester in late June, as will new MIAC President Andrew Estrada and new Vice President Kayla Girardin. In keeping with tradition, the four Mitchell Scholar Alumni applied for membership in the past year and were recently voted to serve up to three consecutive terms by the organization’s members. Estrada and Girardin were elected to serve as President by members of the Alumni Council.
Blackburn, Cloud, Habibzai, and Layman are joining a 20-year tradition of alumni service that helps fuel the Mitchell Institute’s mission to increase the likelihood that young people from every community in Maine will aspire to, pursue, and achieve a college education. Since 2005, MIAC has provided professional development and networking opportunities to current Scholars and Alumni. Each year, MIAC helps organize MILE II, an annual leadership and career development event that brings together Scholars and alumni from around the country. The Alumni Council is also responsible for supporting regional Scholar groups on various college campuses, organizing the annual Alumnathon to raise funds that support Mitchell Scholar programs and services, and providing opportunities for alumni to stay involved with the Mitchell Institute.
“On behalf of the current members of the Mitchell Institute Alumni Council, I want to thank Jesse, Nicole, Román and John for volunteering to be part of the Alumni Council. We thank them for their commitment to the success of current and future Mitchell Scholars and alumni,” Simpson said. “We look forward to the ways their unique experience and expertise contribute to the Council’s mission. We invite all alumni to consider joining MIAC. The Council offers an excellent opportunity to maintain connections with fellow alumni while contributing to the Mitchell Institute’s meaningful programs supporting current scholars. The dedication and leadership of Andy and Kayla will further the Council’s initiatives and strengthen the support of scholars and the Institute.”
As Blackburn, Cloud, Habibzai, and Layman begin their terms, two members of MIAC are concluding theirs.
“I also want to thank Mitchell Scholar Alumni Sierra Kuun and Frankie Pappalardo for their service on MIAC and their steadfast commitment to strengthening programming and opportunities for both current Scholars and alumni,” Simpson said. “Their connection to the Mitchell Institute community runs deep, and I know they will continue to be familiar faces at events and activities.”
Meet the New President and MIAC Members
Incoming MIAC President Andy Estrada is the 2008 Mitchell Scholar from Hall-Dale High School and a 2012 graduate of Colby College, where he earned a bachelor’s in Government and Religious Studies. Estrada now serves as the Senior Communications Officer for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington, where he develops communications strategy for foundation leadership and engages with journalists on the foundation’s charitable efforts. Before joining the foundation in 2017, he spent his early professional career working in an array of government and political campaign roles. He served as North Carolina Press Secretary for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and Deputy Press Secretary for the U.S. Department of Transportation in the Obama Administration. Estrada also has held positions with The White House, House Democratic Caucus, the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee, and the 2012 Obama for America presidential campaign. He remains a passionate advocate of all things Maine and enjoys running, reading, and traveling to new places. The Mitchell Institute had a profound impact on his early professional life, and he looks forward to partnering with Mitchell Institute staff and fellow Alumni Council members to expand professional development opportunities for current Scholars and strengthen the Mitchell Institute’s Alumni network.”
Incoming Vice President Kayla Girardin is the 2013 Mitchell Scholar from Presque Isle High School. Girardin now serves as the Finance and Procurement Specialist at the Great Schools Partnership. Prior to GSP, she taught seventh and eighth grade math for four years at Mount Blue Middle School in Farmington, Maine. In addition to her role as a teacher, she advised the school’s Civil Rights Team and was active in her local and state Education Association, where she learned how to advocate for both students and educators. She spent her summers working for the Upward Bound program at the University of Maine at Farmington, striving to increase college aspirations and attainment in Western Maine. Upon leaving her teaching position, she worked for one year as Project Assistant at the Mitchell Institute. A lifelong Mainer, Kayla grew up in Aroostook County and later attended the University of Maine at Farmington where she graduated with a B.S. in Secondary Education and Mathematics. She loves to run and recently finished her second half-marathon.
Jesse Blackburn is the 2010 Mitchell Scholar from Narraguagus High School and the 2021 Colleen Quint Pioneer Scholar. He graduated from the University of Maine at Machias with a bachelor’s in Psychology and Community Studies and later earned a master’s in Adult and Higher Education Administration from the University of Southern Maine. A proud Bowdoin College Upward Bound alumnus, Blackburn’s experience in the program as a high school student inspired him to return as a professional staff member after college. At UB-Bowdoin, he spent five years helping first-generation students from Washington County navigate the college admission process and access cultural enrichment opportunities. He credits the Mitchell Institute, much like the Upward Bound program, with opening doors and providing opportunities and support that have been central to his personal and professional growth. Grateful for the chance to pay it forward, Blackburn has spent his career bridging similar opportunities for Maine youth. After his time at Upward Bound, he transitioned into fundraising roles, first at Bates College and later at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. As a clinical major gift officer at TJU, he supports the Division of Cardiology and works to secure funding for research and patient care in the field of heart health. Drawing from his own experiences with the Mitchell Institute, Upward Bound, and his professional career, Blackburn is passionate about providing mentorship, creating opportunities, and ensuring that the next generation of Mitchell Scholars has the tools they need to succeed—just as others did for him. He currently resides in Philadelphia, where he continues to support Maine youth and contribute to the community that helped shape his own path.
Nicole Cloud is the 2001 Mitchell Scholar from Telstar Regional High School and a 2005 graduate of the University of Southern Maine, where she earned a bachelor’s in media studies. Originally from Spring Valley, New York, she now resides in Bangor and serves as the Peer Services Coordinator and Advisor in TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) at the University of Maine. In this role, she has had the privilege of partnering with many Mitchell Scholars during their time at UMaine. She joined the TRIO SSS team in August of 2018, transitioning from her position as Assistant Director of Student Service in the Office of Student Financial Aid. Prior to joining the University of Maine in 2016, she worked for several years at the University of Maine at Augusta Bangor campus as both an adjunct instructor and within the Enrollment Services division. While not working, she can be found reading, practicing yoga, volunteering with a local mutual aid organization, and enjoying puns. As a first-generation college graduate, Cloud recognizes the transformative power of higher education and is deeply dedicated to supporting the success of students. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to revitalize her relationship with the Mitchell Institute and to contribute directly to its mission.
Román Habibzai is the 2017 Mitchell Scholar from Windham High School. They graduated from American University with a bachelor’s in Journalism and a minor in International Studies. As an undergraduate student, they were recognized as a Student Changemaker for their leadership in founding Visible, American University’s first LGBTQ+ student media publication. They also interned with the Peace Corps and served as an Orientation Leader. These experiences deepened their passion for community building and uplifting the voices of marginalized individuals through storytelling. After graduating from college, Habibzai worked as a Project Manager for Chaloner, a national executive search firm that focuses on recruiting mid- to senior-level communications, public relations, marketing, and investor relations professionals. They currently work at the Alzheimer’s Association, supporting operations and communications in Scarborough. Habibzai is excited to give back to the Mitchell Institute and the Mitchell Scholar community to honor the legacy of support that has significantly shaped their personal and professional journey.
John Layman is the 2014 Mitchell Scholar from Carrabec High School. He attended Bowdoin College, double majoring in Environmental Studies and Earth and Oceanographic Sciences while minoring in German. At Bowdoin, he competed on the track team, hosted a show on WBOR campus radio, and was a member of the Coalition for Expanding the Reach of Earth Sciences. He also volunteered with the Mitchell Institute Aspirations in Maine Initiative and was the Leon and Lisa Gorman Pioneer Scholar in honor of Senator George J. Mitchell. After graduating, he taught in Germany for two years as a Fulbright Scholar, where he led an afterschool club for students and immersed himself in the community as part of the local basketball club and radio station. Layman then returned to the U.S. and worked with Ohio’s COVID-19 contact tracing program before earning an M.A. in Geography from The Ohio State University, where he studied the potential impacts changes to public transit would have on Columbus, Ohio. At OSU, he taught cartography and worked as a research fellow, while also representing his department on the Council of Graduate Students and participating in campus radio. Today, he works as an Enterprise GIS Transportation Planner at the Connecticut Department of Transportation, where he helps manage the state’s spatial data. In his free time, John enjoys going to trivia, attending concerts, and fishing, including as a Registered Maine Fishing Guide. Throughout his journey, Layman’s identity as a Mainer has been a point of pride, and he is excited to support the Mitchell Institute’s mission to uplift Mainers just as it did — and still does — him.