Meet Amy Lewis, a 2005 Alumna from Downers Grove, IL. Amy currently lives in Brunswick, Maine and owns a photography business, operates a podcast and used to spend almost 20 years working alongside young people in various capacities like a Wilderness Therapy Guide, Residential Treatment Supervisor, Alternative Education Teacher, and School Counselor. Amy's most important role though is as a mother to two incredible little boys, Anderson and Kai with her wife, Mandy.
Brief Description of What You Do
I am the owner and sole photographer at Amy Lewis Photography, based in Brunswick, Maine. I provide portrait photography services for families, couples, professionals, and more! I also provide marketing and social media photography services. I am also the host and producer of the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast. My sister passed away unexpectedly and tragically in March of 2019. As a way of coping with my overwhelming grief, I decided to start a podcast as a way to remember her during our happiest times together as children and adolescents. So on each episode, I take a deep dive into the pop culture of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. I share the backstory behind the music, movies, television shows, toys, and more that made growing up during this time period unforgettable.
Photography website: https://www.amylewisphotos.com/
Podcast website: https://www.popcultureretrospective.com/
What at NMU helped you most in your current role?
NMU helped me to come out of my shell a lot and truly be myself. When I was in high school I was very self-conscious and I tried to pretend I was someone else. Attending NMU made me realize I didn't have to be like that anymore and that I should pursue the things I was passionate about and surround myself with like-minded people. My former professors Dr. Cheryl Teeters and Dr. Jean Kinnear who have sadly both passed away, were instrumental in me becoming the person that I am today. I have been out of college for almost 20 years now but those lessons have stuck with me to this day.
What advice would you give current students?
Do everything you can to be as present during your time in college as possible. It goes by too fast and when you get older, you will likely yearn for your time in college and as a young adult. Put down your phone and be present. Explore all that Marquette and the Upper Peninsula have to offer. See a concert on campus. See a speaker on campus. Join an organization that you wouldn't be able to if you weren't in college. Invite your classmate that doesn't know a lot of people to come with you on a hike. Leave NMU better than you found it.
Are there personal interests and/or activities you care to share?
My photography business and my podcast are probably the two most important activities to me right now as they are both passions of mine and occupy a lot of my time. Outside of that though, I love to mountain bike, hike, and explore craft breweries across Maine and other spots we visit as a family. I also love to travel, whether it's just around the corner or across the country.
Amy and friends during her time at NMU
Amy and friends during her time at NMU