At Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, mercy is more than a founding value, it is a living legacy put into action every day.

Rooted in Catherine McAuley’s work in 19th-century Dublin and carried forward by the Sisters of Mercy, our mission lives on through our students, faculty, staff, and alumni who serve with purpose, lead with heart, and care for those most in need.

This September, we are proud to honor that legacy in two powerful ways:

1. #MakeMercyReal Community Spotlights Over the coming months, we will be highlighting the remarkable members of our SJC community who embody our core values through learning, collaboration, hospitality, and justice.

2. The #MakeMercyReal TikTok Challenge (Up to $1M in Scholarships) Following the overwhelming impact of our inaugural campaign, we are excited to continue our TikTok Challenge – with up to $1 million in full-ride scholarships up for grabs!

We care about who you are when no one is keeping score. Prospective first year students are asked to show us how you turn compassion into action by creating a 15-to-30-second TikTok showing a real moment where you recognized a need and stepped up to help. Up to 4 recipients will be selected based on creativity, community impact, and authentic storytelling.

Entry Windows:

• Fall: August 1 – September 30, 2026 (First winner announced October)
• Winter/Spring: October 1 – December 31, 2026 (Additional winners announced Spring)

🔗 Visit www.sjcme.edu to learn more about the TikTok Challenge and our community spotlights!

Alumni Spotlight

Shannon Coffin ’09 | Vice President of Community Partnerships, Good Shepherd Food Bank

For fifteen years, Shannon Coffin has translated the values she learned on the SJC campus into tangible advocacy across Maine, leading efforts to end hunger and uphold human dignity. In recognition of her transformative leadership, Shannon was recently awarded the prestigious Catherine McAuley Alumni Award.

“I am incredibly honored to receive the Catherine McAuley Alumni Award. To be recognized in the name of someone whose life was defined by compassion, courage, and service is something I never imagined, and I accept this award with deep gratitude.

My time at Saint Joseph’s College shaped not just my career, but my understanding of what leadership can be. I left this campus believing that service isn’t charity—it’s justice. That every person deserves to be treated with dignity. And that our success is measured not only by what we achieve, but by how we show up for one another.

I’ve had the privilege of carrying those values into my work over the past fifteen years, alongside extraordinary colleagues and community partners who remind me every day that meaningful change is always a team effort. Whatever impact this award recognizes has only been possible because of the countless people I’ve had the opportunity to learn from and work beside.

To the faculty, mentors, friends, and family who have believed in me along the way—thank you. And to any current students, I hope you know that the values you’re learning here have a way of staying with you. They will challenge you, sustain you, and, if you let them, shape the kind of leader and person you become.”

Staff Spotlight

Kel Thompson | Director of Food Operations & Executive Culinary Director

For 18 years, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine has honored its Catholic mercy heritage by ensuring that nourishable campus food reaches the tables of our local neighbors. This commitment began in 2008 when the College founded Catherine’s Cupboard, Standish’s first food pantry, named in honor of Catherine McAuley. While operations transitioned to local leadership in 2018 as the Standish Food Pantry, SJC’s dedication to making mercy real remains steadfast.

Today, SJC students, faculty, and staff serve among 60 dedicated volunteers supporting the pantry. Each week, Pearson’s Café packages and provides 150 nutritious meals for local families. Led by Kel Thompson, dining staff and campus volunteers gather every Wednesday and Friday morning to prepare and pack these meals. Annually, SJC contributes over $15,000 in value through recovered food costs, commercial kitchen utilities, and more than 240 hours of volunteer labor.

“Making mercy real isn’t just a mission statement for us; it’s seeing our students and staff show up every week to make sure our neighbors are fed with dignity and care.”

— Kel Thompson

Driven by this same spirit, SJC students under Kel’s mentorship took action by securing a $2,000 Maine Hunger Dialogue grant. This funding directly supports specialized packaging materials for the fresh meals, soups, and sides delivered to the pantry. Through Kel’s leadership and the team’s hands-on devotion to the Community Meal Initiative, surplus food is transformed into a powerful act of mercy, ensuring our Standish neighbors receive nutritious food with care, comfort, and dignity.

Student Spotlight

Maxine Pallante ’27 | Psychology Major (Forensic Concentration), English & Philosophy Minors

This past summer, senior Maxine Pallante took her passion for justice to Washington, D.C., interning with Shared Hope International through SJC’s peer partner program, The Washington Center. Shared Hope is an international non-profit dedicated to preventing sex trafficking, restoring survivors, and bringing justice to vulnerable communities. The organization was founded in 1998 by former U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith after a fact-finding mission to Mumbai, India, opened her eyes to the horrors of human trafficking. Driven by compassion and a commitment to action, Smith stepped away from her political career to launch Shared Hope building a global network that leads prevention strategies, restoration programs, and legislative advocacy.

During her time in D.C., Maxine contributed to the organization’s JuST Training Conference, the Ambassadors of Youth program, and free online community trainings. She even had the opportunity to go to Capitol Hill to advocate for survivor support legislation and meet Linda Smith. After presenting a self-directed research proposal on the intersection of mental health and sex trafficking to Executive Director Samantha Vardaman, Maxine secured an extended remote internship for the fall semester.

“I believe that my internship with Shared Hope International makes mercy real because of the type of work that the organization does. Being able to be part of an international organization that collaborates with so many different organizations to help end sex trafficking, advocates for laws to be passed to aid survivors, speaks out against the horrors that happen within our own country, and most importantly wants to continue growing and be up to date with what is best for survivors is amazing.

I have seen firsthand the incredible work that the entire team does and I have been able to make contributions by bringing a new perspective. Speaking out against sex trafficking, educating those who may not know how prominent it is, and making connections between this work and my studies is an incredible opportunity and one I would only find at St. Joe’s.

Since my freshman year, I have been encouraged to make a difference in my community and be passionate about something. Through this internship, my passion for ending sex trafficking has only grown, and I hope to continue to be part of conversations with survivors on how we as a society can best support them.”