Meet MOFGA Volunteer Aura Morin

Winter 2025-2026


Photo credit: Aura Morin

Meet Aura Morin, a MOFGA volunteer who calls Oakland, Maine, her home when she is not at the University of Maine in Orono for school.

What keeps you busy when you’re not volunteering for MOFGA?

I’m double majoring in ecology and environmental science, and kinesiology, physical education and exercise science. School keeps me pretty busy. I started a club on campus called Waste Minimizers, and now we have 200 members. I also play rugby for the school, and I work at Maine Bound Adventure Center, the climbing gym on campus. I make my own jewelry, and you can find me on Instagram @auramdesigns. I was able to have a booth and sell my jewelry this year at the Common Ground Country Fair in the Youth Enterprise Zone.

What’s your connection to MOFGA, past or present?

I've been going to the Fair since I was a little kid, since my mom was pregnant with me. I've had nightmares about missing the Fair and sleeping through the whole weekend. My grandfather, René Burdet, was one of the architects who designed the fairgrounds in Unity. I would like to carry on his legacy. With the club I started, Waste Minimizers, we're going to make a T-shirt quilt out of old Fair volunteer T-shirts. I'm going to incorporate some of René's old flannel shirts, so then he's a part of the quilt. He was 98 when he passed in the spring, but he was still driving until 96. He stopped skiing at 90 and stopped flying planes at 91.

Why do you volunteer?

I love to give back to the community, and I am hoping to work at MOFGA in the future. I really love the Fair's atmosphere, and I know that it wouldn't be possible without volunteers. I love to be a part of the Fair, especially to be a part of planning it months in advance. Growing up I only really thought about the Fair in September, but this year, I got involved back in June. It's wild how many volunteers help out year-round with the Fair. It was eye-opening to see how much work is put into making the Fair possible.

What gives you hope and what makes you feel challenged about the future? I would say one of the biggest challenges is waste, just waste in general. And it's amazing to see all the composting and recycling that happens during the Fair. In the long-term, I would like to bring Waste Minimizers to every college in New England. To see all of the waste in college, just in general, was just jarring to me. I led a movement called the Clean Sweep. We had boxes in each one of the dorm buildings, and people left stuff like bedding, clothes, and books. All of that stuff would have been thrown away. Everything that you've owned is still out in the universe somewhere — either in the oceans or in a landfill, or maybe in your basement.

This interview, conducted by MOFGA staff, has been edited for clarity and length.