Terae Shorter, of Fond du Lac, finished up her associate degree through the Fond du Lac campus this summer. The mother of three has served in the U.S. Army since 2019 and has been stationed in Germany since 2021—though she’ll be back for commencement. Now a dental specialist, her degree gets her a step forward in her dental career. She plans to become both a sergeant and a dental hygienist in the Army. “Without the support of my mother and children,” she said, “I would not be where I am in my academic or professional careers.”

Megan Blissett, of Wauwautosa, graduates with a degree in music education. She’s performed in the Jazz Ensemble, Saxophone Quartet and was among the students to play in the inaugural year of the Bolt Band. She also found love at UWO: Her fiancé, Josh Roberts, who graduated in May, proposed at her senior recital. She’ll soon move to Oklahoma, where Roberts is working on a master’s degree, and hopes to teach middle school band. “Middle schoolers have a passion for learning like no other and I am ready to share my excitement about music with them,” she said.

Brandon Dudley graduates with a degree in sociology and a social equity and diversity certificate. Dudley, who grew up in Milwaukee and Green Bay, attended two other colleges before finding his footing at UWO. He’s most proud of a change in attitude during his college career, which led to improved grades and expanded critical thinking. That shift enabled him to find success while working full-time and raising a young daughter. “There was a lot on my plate,” he said, “but I was determined to finish, to provide my daughter with the world—plus some.” He’s been hired as a recruiting and sales manager at Aerotek in Appleton. 

December has been a whirlwind for Alanna Dahlke, of Lake Villa, Illinois. On Dec. 3, she was commissioned into the U.S. Army Nurse Corps as a second lieutenant. Col. Mary Ann Monteith, retired UWO CON faculty member, administered the oath. Now Dalhke earns her nursing degree.

Dahlke’s road to success was long and winding. It took two tries to get accepted into the nursing program. She struggled to juggle her ROTC duties and her academic studies. Through it all, Monteith was there for support.

Next Dalhke will focus on passing the NCLEX and then it is off to attend the Basic Officer Leader Course. After that, she hopes to be assigned to active duty in Hawaii, Washington, D.C., or Germany.

A double major in interactive web management (IWM) and digital marketing plus extensive experience with the Wisconsin SBDC Digital Marketing Clinic helped Taylor Baker, of Kimberly, land a job in the profession with Jewelers Mutual before commencement.

“I wanted to pursue marketing but was really drawn to the digital side, especially IWM. UWO was the only school that had IWM and the marketing options I wanted,” Baker said.

Maeve Casey, a native of Roselle, Illinois, graduates with an environmental health degree. She’s already secured a job with the Winnebago County Health Department and will soon be the person who makes service industry workers sweat—an environmental health specialist, doing inspections at restaurants, hotels, rentals, events and other happenings. She said she’s happy to stay around Oshkosh with all the friends she’s made at UWO.

Jared Petrie, of Sheboygan Falls, graduates with a degree in accounting and as a member of the Honors College. Petrie completed two internships—one at U.S. Venture and one at Kohler Co.—and has been hired as an accounting associate with Pierce Manufacturing. His GPA also has earned him an Honors Medallion. What’ll he miss most about UWO? The basketball team. Petrie played four years with the Titans, including during the 2018-19 national championship season.

Jacob Laack, of West Allis, is a finance and accounting major who is ready to start his career with the accounting firm Baker Tilly in Appleton, where he was an intern in the spring. He’s been hired as a tax associate and will begin to prepare for the Uniform Certified Public Accountant exam. He’s following both an uncle and a grandfather into finance.

Anuar Majana, who hails from Columbia, is proud to earn his business administration master’s degree. Majana, who already has a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, came to the United States as part of a work and travel student exchange program. He had an internship in Green Lake, helping manage the Goose Blind, a well-known restaurant and bar. “I did not have any exposure to the hospitality industry but I found out I loved to talk to people,” he said. The upbeat atmosphere at the restaurant appeals to him—and he might continue to help manage it. He traveled to UWO from Green Lake once a week for the MBA program and interacted with other professionals seeking their degree.

Jacob Jeeninga, from Crown Point, Indiana, graduates with a marketing degree (with a digital marketing emphasis). He’s already landed a job in Cedar Lake, Indiana, at a restaurant and wedding venue where he’s worked the past seven years whenever back in Indiana. He already had a summer internship there as an event manager and now will have a full-time marketing role.

Graduating psychology major Kobe Allen, of Chicago, made the most of his time in Oshkosh. “I have to admit before being recruited here to wrestle I was unsure of where Oshkosh was,” he said. “But through the connections extended to me through the Titan Advantage Program, Oshkosh became a perfect fit for me as I was given a family away from home.”

Beyond wrestling, he worked for Campus Center for Equity and Diversity, Gruenhagen Conference Center, and served as president of The Gentlemen of Excellence. He coaches wrestling at Merrill Middle School and mentors wave robotics at Oshkosh North High School. Describing Oshkosh as his “perfect place to thrive and grow,” Allen will stay to pursue a master’s degree in higher education leadership and policy.

Milwaukee native Tiah Bates is graduating with a degree in biology and imagines a future career in a hospital setting. Bates heard about microbiology when someone came and talked about it at her high school, Milwaukee Messmer, and it “clicked” as she’s always enjoyed science and biology. The first person in her family to graduate with a four-year degree, she intends to continue her education—seeking another bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science.

Beau Gross, of West Bend, majored in economics and marketing and amassed five certificates: digital marketing, marketing, marketing analysis and insights, business analytics, and international business. He also has a minor in analytics.

He said marketing lecturer Kathy Fredrickson made a major impact, changing the course of his academic career—and possibly his future career—through her informative, interactive and meaningful classwork.

“I have learned so much from my time at UWO, but what I am most proud of is after four and a half years of college, I now feel confident that I have the tools to live my best life post-graduation,” he said.

Olivia Corrigall, of Marshfield, has been applying and interviewing, with hopes of snagging a job that puts her communications studies degree to work. “In a couple of years, I’d like to go to law school,” she said, adding that she has an interest in nonprofit law after getting a taste of the nonprofit world during an internship. Ultimately, she’d like to work in Madison, Milwaukee or Chicago.

Waupun resident Macy Woxland, who is graduating with an art major and business minor, has aspirations of working with museum collections—preferably somewhere in Wisconsin. The 2017 Waupun High School graduate earned as associate degree from UWO’s Fond du Lac campus in 2019 before completing her bachelor’s degree at Oshkosh. In the week leading to commencement, Woxland had the extra excitement and prestige of showcasing her studio senior art exhibit at the Allen Priebe and Annex art galleries.

Nikita Crubaugh, who graduates with a finance degree, is searching for a position in corporate finance with a large firm based in the Fox Valley, Twin Cities or Chicago. She’ll be heading home “for a while” to McFarland after graduation. Crubaugh hopes to be an analyst and eventually work her way into investor relations. She said what she’ll miss at UWO is going to the Student Recreation and Wellness Center to work out with some of her professors.

Taking college classes in high school has helped Fond du Lac campus student Timothy Burns, of Mount Calvary, earn his associate degree in three semesters. Burns will start on the Oshkosh campus in spring in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies.

“I started my college journey fully online as it was still the middle of the pandemic,” he said. “Luckily, I enjoy virtual learning, so I wasn’t mad about it.”

Burns’ plans for the future include working in land management/conservation.

Business administration grad Julia Thompson, of Kimberly, found UWO to be the perfect sized school to support her growth and involvement as a student.

“The school is big enough that there are lots of opportunities to learn and get involved, yet still small enough that when you find your niche, it’s easy to connect with professors, lead clubs and activities, build relationships with peers and make some great friends,” she said.

A recipient of a Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, Thompson is putting her economics major and information systems minor to work immediately as a product owner at Guardian Life Insurance, helping develop software systems.