UWGB Transformed Brittany by…

…helping her commit to lifelong learning.

When a student graduates from UWGB, Brittany Schreiner insists that their learning isn’t over: in fact, it’s just beginning.

Schreiner, BrittanySlowly realizing that learning is a lifelong commitment, Brittany decided to expand her horizons and study abroad in Cuernavaca during a winter interim session, opening her eyes to what was possible if she conceptualized learning outside of classroom walls. Contributing to this transformation were teachers Lucy Arendt, William Lepley, and Don McCartney.
“These three individuals love what they do and are so passionate about the subject matter they present, it’s impossible not to be inspired,” Brittany says.

Now, Brittany is thriving after graduation because of her love of learning, an interest developed at UWGB. “I have been recognized as a person who always wants to learn more, do more, and be more at my place of employment. I know that this is due to the relationships cultivated with faculty and students at UWGB,” Brittany posits. “My time there inspired me not to be afraid to take on new challenges and learn new and interesting things. UWGB ignited a spark inside me that made me hungry to learn more. Intelligent people never really stop learning.”

Name: Brittany Schreiner

Grad Year: 2014

Major: Business Administration

Minor: Spanish and International Business

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We’ve asked alumni to either share stories of how their lives were transformed by the UWGB  experience or how they are making the world a better place with transformational work in their careers, homes, or volunteer experiences. As UWGB celebrates its 50th Anniversary, meet an alum each week who has experienced a “UW-Green Bay Transformation.” Stories were self-submitted and then edited by Zachary Taylor, a 2010 English Education graduate currently serving as Interim Associate Director of the Phuture Phoenix program.

UWGB Transformed Mary by…

…helping her establish life-long academic and personal relationships.

Wood Hall will always hold a special place in Mary Benton Wilmot’s heart.

Wilmot, Mary 1
Photo submitted by: Mary Benton Wilmot

“I met my husband in my second semester as a freshman,” Mary recalls. “We met in Wood Hall and married four years later. We are going on sixteen years of marriage in May 2015, and meeting him changed my life forever. We often joke about how we met in Wood Hall. We stared at each other for a month, as he was with his friends and I was with my friends, and when finally he saw me alone, he came over to ask me out. The rest is history.”

Yet for as life-changing as Wood Hall was, Mary also insists that meeting her husband in no way took a backseat to her academic experiences.

“The professor that I learned the most from was Don McCartney. My husband had him as a professor and recommended him. He was great to learn from, and I remember feeling accomplished when I finished his classes,” Mary explains. And upon graduation, Mary felt absolutely prepared for whatever life may throw at her.

“I felt like I was armed and ready to get into the ‘real world’ after leaving UWGB. Little did I know how much I didn’t know. UWGB students always made me feel at home and UWGB staff always provided great guidance for how to chart my career based on my interests,” Mary says, “and I’ll always be grateful for the experience.”

As it turns out Mary’s UWGB experience has served her well: she is now a Senior Program Manager for a leading cloud and virtualization technology company–VMware–and lives in San Francisco, California.

Name: Mary Benton Wilmot

Grad Year: 1998

Major: Business

Minor: Graphic Design

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We’ve asked alumni to either share stories of how their lives were transformed by the UWGB  experience or how they are making the world a better place with transformational work in their careers, homes, or volunteer experiences. As UWGB celebrates its 50th Anniversary, meet an alum each week who has experienced a “UW-Green Bay Transformation.” Stories were self-submitted and then edited by Zachary Taylor, a 2010 English Education graduate currently serving as Interim Associate Director of the Phuture Phoenix program.

 

 

UWGB Transformed Amy by…

…showing her the artistry of business.

As someone who loves performance, Amy Vannieuwenhoven might consider her UWGB education as a first act. In 2015, Amy majored in Business, but she insists that it wasn’t accounting, economics, or management that truly inspired her: it was theatre. Crediting multiple UWGB teachers and mentors, Amy says that her theatre courses and experiences–and particularly their interplay with her Business major requirements–provided her with an unparalleled sense of confidence upon entering the workforce.

Vannieuwenhoven, Amy
Photo submitted by: Amy Vannieuwenhoven

Whether it was John Mariano’s inspirational demeanor, Don McCartney’s high expectations, or Ellen Rosewall’s undying care for all of her students, Amy insists that without these people intimately involved in her education, she may not have seen the connections between a conference room and a costume room.

“Theatre classes helped me understand how to be outgoing and use the skills I learned to my advantage,” Amy says. “I also feel driven to pursue a job which I feel passionate about, which I feel is often something that is neglected in college.” Now with a Business degree, Amy feels confident to stand out from other job seekers by drawing from skills learned on the stage, performing admirably in the business world, ready for whatever her second act has to offer.

 

Name: Amy Vannieuwenhoven

Grad Year: 2015

Major: Business Administration

Minor: Arts Management

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We’ve asked alumni to either share stories of how their lives were transformed by the UWGB  experience or how they are making the world a better place with transformational work in their careers, homes, or volunteer experiences. As UWGB celebrates its 50th Anniversary, meet an alum each week who has experienced a “UW-Green Bay Transformation.” Stories were self-submitted and then edited by Zachary Taylor, a 2010 English Education graduate currently serving as Interim Associate Director of the Phuture Phoenix program.

UWGB Transformed Molly by…

…letting her step outside of her comfort zone.

Molly Witt has always loved other cultures, and she says she was fortunate to attend a university where so many others shared the same passion.

“As a German major I had two very important people impact my life–Jennifer Ham and David Coury–who pushed me to advance my proficiency, my cultural competency, and encouraged me to engage in the opportunities outside of class,” Molly says. “They made my studies tough but enjoyable. In fact, I never wanted to miss their classes because of they way they inspired me to learn.”

Later in her studies, UWGB and its Office of International Education facilitated Molly’s participation in a year long study abroad opportunity at UWGB’s sister school in Germany. Molly says, “That year is by far my most memorable year in my life and helped me step outside of my norm to immerse myself in something totally different.”

Today, Molly says she wouldn’t be where she is today “without the education, internships, study abroad experience and networking opportunities I received at UWGB.” Molly now works in the education field, traveling the world to talk to students about attending a university in the USA, allowing others to step outside of their comfort zones to see what the world truly has to offer.

Name: Molly Witt

Grad Year: 2005

Major: German

Minor: Business

 

Photo submitted by: Molly Witt

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We’ve asked alumni to either share stories of how their lives were transformed by the UWGB  experience or how they are making the world a better place with transformational work in their careers, homes, or volunteer experiences. As UWGB celebrates its 50th Anniversary, meet an alum each week who has experienced a “UW-Green Bay Transformation.” Stories were self-submitted and then edited by Zachary Taylor, a 2010 English Education graduate currently serving as Interim Associate Director of the Phuture Phoenix program.

UWGB Transformed Susan by…

…embracing interdisciplinarity to make the impossible possible.

UW-Green Bay is known for its many high-quality academic programs, but for Susan Frost, UWGB’s Adult Degree program proved to be life changing. “What I remember is the very personal involvement and support that the staff of the Adult Degree program provided,” Susan says. “This was a formula for success. It was comforting and encouraging, and it was powerful in retention and in motivation. The people involved changed my life.”

When Susan arrived on the UWGB campus, she was already a successful business woman and in fact, Susan brought her secretary along for the ride.

“We both earned degreeFrost, Susans,” Susan recalls, “and when I started, I came to get a piece of paper to nail to my office wall that said I was ‘certifiably smart.’ What I got was something far more important, much to my surprise.” Susan asserts that her UWGB experience provided her with a deeper understanding of how interdisciplinarity works in the marketplace, crucial to her future success in the business world. “This understanding allowed me to transform my business from an ordinary advertising agency to a marketing company that has survived the test of time, when others have fallen, because true marketing is based in the humanities and understanding the human condition,” Susan says.

Of course, Susan did not arrive at this conclusion on her own. She credits Bill Laatsch for “engaging me in topics I never thought I’d like and teaching me how to teach,” Fritz Fischbach who “taught problem solving and helped me define my life’s work and passion,” and Cheryl Grosso whose class “let me put my toe in the water and understand that I could earn a degree.” And not surprisingly, Susan gleaned insight from a truly eclectic, interdisciplinary group of UWGB educators. “As anyone can see, this is an interdisciplinary education,” Susan explains, “and this why I have donated to the university. I want other students to have this amazing experience.”

Embracing this sense of interdisciplinarity, Susan has engaged herself to make a lasting impact on her community. “I have a very comprehensive understanding of how the dynamics within a community play out, and it has given me a foundation to contribute to the community I love by serving on the Neville, the Brown County Historical Society, the Founders Association, and the Evergreen Productions Board in a way I never could have in the past,” Susan insists. “None of this would have happened without the transformative experience of the university which provided me with the tools needed to provide broad community education.”

Now working as an Associate Lecturer, Susan says that UWGB helped make the impossible possible.

“My UWGB experience not only assured me of my ‘smartness,’ but it also opened the door to obtaining a master’s degree at UW-Milwaukee, something I never imagined possible,” Susan explains. “For all of this, I am eternally grateful to this institution. I owe it to the professors who opened so many doors, a profound debt which I try to repay with every student I touch now as an Associate Lecturer: again, this is something I never imagined was possible.”

Name: Susan Frost
Grad Year: 1997
Major: Business, Communications, and Humanistic Studies

Photo submitted by: Susan Frost

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We’ve asked alumni to either share stories of how their lives were transformed by the UWGB  experience or how they are making the world a better place with transformational work in their careers, homes, or volunteer experiences. As UWGB celebrates its 50th Anniversary, meet an alum each week who has experienced a “UW-Green Bay Transformation.” Stories were self-submitted and then edited by Zachary Taylor, a 2010 English Education graduate currently serving as Interim Associate Director of the Phuture Phoenix program.