…welcoming him back home.
Although many UWGB students begin and end their college education as a Phoenix, countless UWGB alumni are transfer students who began their academic careers elsewhere. Tyler Gajewski is one of those transfer students, and he credits UWGB for refocusing his education and welcoming him back home.
“My first semester of college was at another university, and I hated it,” Tyler says. “I had a terrible rooming situation, it was an unfamiliar setting, and I was from a small town but was dropped into a place where I was basically a number instead of a person.”
Being a graduate 
of nearby Pulaski High School, Tyler decided it was best to come home, and UWGB welcomed him with open arms.
“It was a difficult time, but I decided to transfer to UWGB. It was fresh start, and one of the things I like telling people is that UWGB gave me more opportunities than I would have had staying where I was,” Tyler says.
Tyler explains that traveling to Italy for a studyabroad art program, being showcased in art shows at the Lawton Gallery, working at the Learning Technology Center, and becoming an Apple Campus representative were just a few of the opportunities that were awaiting him once he embraced UWGB. And the people he met exceeded his expectations.
“Several people provided a huge influence on me including Christine Style, Toni Damkoehler, Jeni Mokren, Frances Coates, Eric Lightbody, Andy Speth, Josh Goldman, and many others,” Tyler explains. “These people taught me to be a better student, better artist, better employee, and shaped who I am today.”
Now holding a job with the Green Bay Packers, Tyler insists he made the right choice, saying UWGB allowed him to “develop a foundation in education, arts, and people skills that translated into my career.”
Name: Tyler Gajewski
Grad Year: 2011
Major: Studio Art
Minor: Education
Photos submitted by: Tyler Gajewski
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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.