University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

“My current career goal is to become a teacher who inspires my students to be the best they can be. I hope to make history fun and interesting for every student that walks into my classroom. If I can achieve this goal, my students will be excited to learn,” explained Kaden Kemp the 2022-23 recipient of the UWO Fox Cities Foundation’s Charlie & Loie Kliefoth, Howard and Alice Curler Academic Excellence and Michael J. O’Brien Scholarships.

“Throughout high school, I sought options that allowed me to work with children. This time spent in the classroom helped me realize I enjoy teaching. Learning about what our country and world went through to become what they are today has always fascinated me. I’ve been lucky. I’ve had high school and college teachers who made history come alive through interesting lectures and challenging hands-on activities. I will share my passion for history with my students by emulating those outstanding teachers.”

Receiving a scholarship can make a big difference–especially when you’re paying for college yourself. Kaden’s scholarships are valued at $4,750.

The Howard and Alice Curler Academic Excellence scholarship is awarded to a full-time UWO Fox Cities campus student who has maintained a 3.0 GPA and has demonstrated community and school leadership qualities. The Michael J. O’Brien Memorial scholarship honors UW Fox Professor of History, Michael J. O’Brien and additionally requires the recipient be a history, political science, or international relations major. The Charlie & Loie Kliefoth scholarship has a preference for history majors.

The UWO Fox Cities Foundation congratulates Kaden and all of the 2022-23 scholarship recipients on their achievements and wishes them continued success in the pursuit of their academic and life goals.

Kaden Piechocki is no stranger to receiving a scholarship from the UWO Fox Cities Foundation having received the Howard and Alice Curler Academic Excellence Scholarship in 2020-21 and the Fox Cities Amateur Sports Authority Scholarship in 2021-22. For the 2022-23 academic year, Kaden is the recipient of three scholarships—the Fox Cities Sports Authority, the UWO Fox Cities campus Engineering, and the William R. Bassett Engineering scholarships.

A graduate of Shiocton High School, Kaden begins his third year at UWO Fox Cities pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering.

“I enjoy erecting and modeling things and working with my hands,” explained Kaden. “I want to have a stable career where I have the ability to make impactful changes both at work in the community.”

The UWO Fox Cities Engineering Scholarship is awarded to a student who is a junior or senior in the UWO Fox Cities/UW-Platteville engineering program with demonstrated academic achievement. It is a $2,000 award. William R. Bassett Engineering Scholarship is a $1,000 award and has additional requirements of a minimum 3.0 GPA and a mechanical engineering major with financial need. The Fox Cities Amateur Sports Authority Scholarship can be awarded to any full-time UWO Fox Cities student with demonstrated financial need. It is a $2,000 award.

Through the generosity of donors, the UWO Fox Cities Foundation has established these and other scholarships to help UWO Fox Cities students achieve their academic goals. Whether scholarships are awarded for academic merit, financial need, or both each scholarship makes an impact on the lives of the student recipients during their college years and beyond in their professional careers

A graduate of Appleton East High School and new student of the UWO Fox Cities campus, Kellysu Thoune is the recipient of the 2022-23 J.C. Bubolz Memorial Scholarship and the UWO Fox Cities Foundation General scholarship.

Kellysu is a Medical Technology major with the goal of becoming a lab technician so she can assist people. Kellysu has “always been good in science classes and has an interest in working in labs.”

The J.C. Bubolz Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a full time UWO Fox Cities campus student who has demonstrated financial need and has maintained a minimum GPA of 3.0. Kellysu’s award is one of two $1,000 awards given annually by this scholarship.

The UWO Fox Cities Foundation General Scholarship is a $500 award presented to two full-time UWO Fox Cities students with a minimum 2.75 GPA.

Scholarships make a significant contribution to improving students’ lives. They can help to address a student’s financial needs, often allowing them to continue their education instead of dropping out of college for financial reasons. Scholarships also serve as a reward for past academic performance and as an incentive for students to excel.

“Living an eleven-person household, my parents cannot afford to pay for my college tuition, and my savings will only go so far, so this scholarship has greatly eased my financial concerns this semester and allowed me to save money for semesters to come,” explained Levi Battaglia.

Levi Battaglia is a 2022-23 recipient of the Fox Cities Amateur Sports Authority Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to up to five students attending UWO Fox Cities campus who are either new or continuing full-time students with demonstrated financial need. Each scholarship is a $2,000 award.

Levi’s scholarship not only eases the financial burden of college but moves him closer to his career goal of becoming a mechanical engineer.

“Ever since I was a young boy, I have loved the rule-based nature of math and the inspiring variety found in science. Engineering intersects math and science in a fascinating mix of rules, knowledge, and brilliant creativity,” explained Levi.

“I have most enjoyed taking engineering classes under Professor Warren Vaz. His disciplined, consistent teaching and grading methods encouraged me to hold myself to rigorous work standards. I appreciated his punctual arrival and consistent class patterns. His lectures were straightforward. If a student worked diligently to understand the material and complete the homework, the exams were never a surprise.”

“I would like to thank you for your generosity and consideration of earnest students like myself. This scholarship has eased a financial burden for me and strengthened my drive to push myself to my highest capacity.”

“I have always had a passion for tinkering with robots. Robotics is a meeting of electrical, mechanical, and software engineering. Of the three, electrical seemed the hardest, and the one I had less of a chance of learning intuitively. So, I chose electrical engineering,” explains Adeel Sultan the 2022-23 recipient of the Miller Electric Manufacturing Company and the UWO Fox Cities campus Engineering Scholarships.

The Miller Electric Manufacturing Company Scholarship is awarded to a UWO Fox Cities campus student pursuing a degree in engineering with a minimum of 9 credits with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Additionally, the recipient must identify as an ethnic minority or female and must have demonstrated financial need. It is a $2,000 award.

The UWO Fox Cities Engineering Scholarship is awarded to a student who is a junior or senior enrolled in the UWO Fox Cities campus/UW-Platteville engineering program with demonstrated academic achievement and financial need. It is a $2,000 award.

Adeel blends course work from his two favorite professors, Dr. Warren Vaz (Engineering) and Ahilan Sivasamy (Computer Science) in his work.

”I am pursuing a career in the ADAS/autonomous driving field. Driving is one of the most dangerous activities people do across the world. I believe that developing safer and smarter automobiles is one way to reduce the risk of accidents that occur on the road. I also aim to work for an automotive company which prioritizes the manufacturing of EVs over gasoline-powered vehicles in order to reduce the carbon footprint of cars across the globe.”

Adeel acknowledges the impact of receiving these scholarships.

“Receiving these scholarships significantly reduces the financial burden of attending UWO Fox Cities and allows me to focus much more on fundamental concepts that will lay the foundation for my future career. Additionally, enrollment in the UW Platteville PEP program means having to pay for courses on two campuses at the same time. As a student who receives minimal financial support from my family, being a UWO Fox Cities Foundation scholar makes the differences between completing my degree on time and having to delay graduation to afford the expense of college.

Receiving the Fox Cities Amateur Sports Authority, the Health Sciences, and the Quest for Truth Scholarships brought significant relief to UWO Fox Cities second year student, Anna Stencil.

“These scholarships have eased so much stress in my life in having to find ways to pay for my education. Ever since I’ve been treating for cancer and recovering from brain surgeries, I was unable to obtaining a job for more than 12 hours a week. But receiving these scholarships have helped me to focus on my education and not worry about those job hours that I lost due to my health. If it weren’t for these scholarships, school wouldn’t have been a priority, money would have.”

It probably comes as little surprise that Anna’s major is biomedical sciences.

“My career goal is to help those who are suffering in the hospital with cancer. It is such a limiting disease not only physically but mentally. It steals the best moments of one’s life that you can’t get back and isolates you from the rest of the world because of the strong effects on the immune system from chemotherapy. No one should have to endure that suffering. When I obtain my degree, I want to research pediatric cancer specifically, so that I can help kids can live a normal life.”

The Health Sciences Scholarship is awarded to a UWO Fox Cities campus student pursuing any health science degree offered by the campus. The student must be enrolled for a minimum of six credits. It is a $2,000 annual award.

The Quest for Truth Scholarship is awarded to a full-time UWO Fox Cities campus student with a minimum GPA of 2.5. It is a $1,000 award.

Additionally, Anna was awarded $2,000 as one of the recipients of a Fox Cities Amateur Sports Authority Scholarship.

Anna summed up the impact of these scholarships by thanking the donors of these scholarships by saying, “These scholarships not only changed my life, but will change others. And for that I am extremely thankful!”

Caden Bast combines his love of making and designing things with his pursuit of a degree in mechanical engineering and a long-range plan of becoming an engineer, “because it is fun.”

Caden is the 2022-23 recipient of the Ester Kliefoth Stutzman Excellence Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a student attending UWO Fox Cities on a full-time basis with demonstrated academic performance of achieving a minimum of 3.5 GPA. Caden is a graduate of Xavier High School. It is a $1,300 scholarship.

Caden is looking forward to gaining new experiences as a new student at UWO Fox Cities. He chose UWO Fox Cities because it was “close to home, has a good engineering program, and because it is inexpensive.”

Caden’s scholarship makes attending the campus and working towards his degree even more affordable for him.

Colin Van De Loo, the 2022-23 recipient of the William Guither Science Scholarship, has his sights set on being an orthopedic surgeon.

“My current career goal is to work as a practicing Orthopedic Surgeon. I have found myself interested in this career when I broke my tibia and fibula skiing. Going to the hospital and meeting all the different specialties and intricate systems involved in my recovery process fascinated me. It also showed me that the people in this field of work have a deep passion for what they do and I would like to share that same passion some day,” explained Colin.

“I am interested in the medical field because I believe I can positively impact the lives of many through the science of medicine. Science has always been an interest to me and as a current CNA working at Bellin Hospital, I have always loved working with individuals who seek to improve their quality of life”

The William Guither Science Scholarship honors the late Emeritus Professor of UW Fox Valley, William Guither. The scholarship is presented to a full-time student attending UWO Fox Cities pursuing a major in science. Additionally, the recipient must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. It is a $2,000 annual scholarship.

Like Professor Guither, Colin’s favorite UWO Fox Cities professor is a chemist, Dr. Brian Rukamp.

“Dr. Rukamp shows a true passion for what he does, all the while sharing it with his students. He is truly a helpful and inspiring professor that understands that chemistry is not for everyone, but through his teaching and time helping students shows how fascinating and fun it can be.”

“Receiving this scholarship has allowed me to de-stress regarding my financial situation and has relieved the amount of debt that I will have before medical school. It has showed me that the Fox Cities community truly has a kind heart and is willing to give to next generation.

“I would like to say ‘thank you’ to everyone that has given their time, resources, and effort into these scholarships! They are definitely making a difference in our community that will last a lifetime”.

Haorui Peng is one of the 2022-23 recipients of the Howard and Alice Curler Academic Excellence Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a full-time UWO Fox Cities campus student who has maintained a minimum 3.0 GPA and has demonstrated community and school leadership qualities.

“For years, I’ve been volunteering to provide academic tutoring services for underprivileged children in my hometown. I also spent 16 months as an intern teaching English in a private tutoring center. Such experiences guiding students from non-profit and commercial organizations provided me with a large sample of students from various backgrounds and social classes in China, and I gradually formed my initial idea that everyone was likely to suffer from crazy pursuits for higher scores but faced varying levels of pressure due to divergent growing environments. The phenomenon of inequality inspired me to take action and seek ways to improve the situation so that students, regardless of background, have access to the educational resources they deserve.

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“Volunteering services may help some children with difficulties, but it is clearly impractical to cover all of them only with volunteers. Revised macroscopic education policies must be the key to resolving the puzzle. I personally experienced several rounds of education reform, such as the new format of Gaokao and “Double Reduction,” which is the national guideline to reduce the burden of students in their compulsory education. It is reported that students indeed felt less stressed about their academy, but criticisms concerning the issues of expanded inequalities also surfaced. My curiosity grew as I gained a better understanding of the national policies: how can we better deal with this complex issue?

“I desire to develop my expertise in education policy and related fields so that I may apply my professional knowledge to help solve the problems of inequality and other issues in Chinese education.

Haorui identified UWO Fox Cities professors Younis Zaiden (Mathematics), Tammy Ladwig (Education), Bill Gillard (English), and Greg Peter (Sociology) as being particularly helpful during his freshman year. Each helped Haorui build his confidence as a freshman student in a foreign country and provided ideas and resources allowing him to explore his interests and broaden his horizons.

“I am sincerely honored to receive the scholarship, and I feel sincerely thankful for the donors and the campus foundation. It is an official appreciation of my hard work in my freshman year in the university and inspires me to keep working.’

The 2022-23 recipient of the Verne Imhoff Scholarship is Jenny Weber.

Though Jenny is technically a first-generation college student there was already a strong UWO Fox Cities family connection and that factored significantly into her decision to attend the campus.

“My oldest child attended, and I loved hearing about some of her courses (especially Images of Women and Anthropology). I love that I can transfer to the Oshkosh campus and can save on tuition until then. I love the size of the classes and the campus itself. I appreciate the extra time the professors are all willing to give to ensure their students succeed.”

Jenny’s anticipated major is Sociology. She has her sights set on graduate school and a career in professional counseling.

“I would love to be a Licensed Professional Counselor because I would enjoy helping clients actualize their goals and help them to work toward what they aspire to become. I would love to specialize in trauma-based therapies, practice E.M.D.R., and incorporate body movements such as yoga and breathwork. “

The Verne Imhoff Scholarship was established to memorialize Verne Imhoff the first full-time director at the University of Wisconsin Fox Valley campus and was instrumental in leading the campus to its current location in Menasha. This is a $1500 scholarship awarded to either a part-time or full-time UWO Fox Cities student where there is financial need.

On hearing of her scholarship Jenny expressed her gratitude, “Your generosity is amazing. I love that there are programs and funds available to help all students attend school, but especially for non-traditional students. Thank you so much!”