COMMENCEMENT University of Wisconsin-Whitewater December 19, 2020 More than 150 years ago, on April 21, 1868, the state’s second normal school opened its doors to the first class of 48 students and nine faculty members. A progressive spirit guided the development of the institution as it evolved from a normal school, which trained teachers for one-room schools, to Whitewater State Teachers College (1927), Wisconsin State College-Whitewater (1951), Wisconsin State University-Whitewater (1964) and as a member of the 13 four-year institutions in the University of Wisconsin System (1971). Today, UW-Whitewater is a leading comprehensive university serving approximately 11,842 full- and part-time students with 50 undergraduate majors, 13 master’s degree programs, one doctoral degree and one education specialist degree in the colleges of Arts and Communication, Business and Economics, Education and Professional Studies, Integrated Studies, and Letters and Sciences. The university awards more than 2,700 degrees every year. Throughout its history, UW-Whitewater has produced graduates who have actively contributed to the growth of the state and nation. Student learning is the paramount focus of the university’s programs and services. The university takes pride in its regional leadership, national presence and global vision. Many of its academic programs are among the best in the country. 1 Student Speaker Brian Martinez For Brian Martinez, becoming a Warhawk meant finding a place to plant roots. When he visited campus as a transfer student from another Wisconsin university, UW-Whitewater felt like an inclusive family, where everyone belonged — a place that put people first. “I could see myself thriving here. I knew the amount of opportunities I would have.” Born in Puerto Rico, Brian moved from city to city with his family before settling in Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin. Whether it’s hiking the gorgeous Baraboo bluffs or recreating on one of the state’s 15,000 lakes, Brian’s affinity for the environment runs deep. With his work with the American Conservation Coalition, Brian helped advocate for new energy solutions to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions that also create economic prosperity. “Protecting our planet for future generations is a profound responsibility,” said Brian. On campus, Brian has served as a peer mentor, leading new students through their first semester, and as intergovernmental affairs director for Whitewater Student Government, where he advocated for student concerns and causes to elected officials at the local, state and national level. Along the way, he served as a Kenosha County Circuit Court intern and field director for the C.E.R.S. Committee of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. He graduated in May with a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a legal studies emphasis and a paralegal certificate. With UW-Whitewater political science graduates successfully reaching the highest levels of government — including the White House — Brian has high, but completely legitimate, career aspirations. A self-described policy wonk who enjoys the nitty gritty details of legislation, he has already moved to Washington, D.C., and recently served on the digital political team working on Get Out The Vote efforts for the 2020 campaign cycle. Brian, along with his peers Alex Ostermann and Hogan Veserat, established the Warhawk Legacy Society — a scholarship fund through the UW-Whitewater Foundation — in which each graduating student can donate their graduation year (the Class of 2020 would donate $20.20 each) to fund a scholarship for incoming freshman. “Service is something that’s core to UW-Whitewater, and being able to help folks coming in as we’re on our way out is one of the coolest things.” v 2 Student Speaker Alexander Ostermann Interfraternity Council president. Warhawk Ambassador. Student body president. Homecoming King. Alex Ostermann’s resume includes elections to some of the most prestigious student leadership positions at UW-Whitewater. But to focus on the titles is to overlook the legacy of a man who has spent his collegiate years advocating for students, mentoring a new generation of young leaders, and modeling public service and philanthropy. The Cedarburg native has had an exceptionally active, well-rounded college career. “UW-Whitewater set me up in the best way possible for my future. The faculty and staff here challenged me, pushed me out of my comfort zone and supported me in ways I never thought possible.” In his run for office for Whitewater Student Government, Alex campaigned on a platform of: Health, Safety, Community. During his tenure, he has written and co-sponsored legislation to support LGBTQ* and nontraditional students, encourage voter participation and access, and increase mental health resources. During the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, he kept student government operating, holding virtual meetings and check-ins with students. A member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, Alex coordinated a biannual food drive to benefit the Whitewater and Milton pantries that collected more than 4,000 pounds of food. Every summer since 2014, Alex has volunteered for a week as a camp counselor, providing 24/7 care for a teenager with muscular dystrophy. And at the Green Bay Packers home opener in 2017, Alex performed the halftime show with the Warhawk Marching Band, playing trumpet in front of 80,000 fans at Lambeau Field. In his spare time, he worked in University Marketing and Communications, championing students by writing articles about their academic and extracurricular achievements and sending them to the students’ hometown newspapers, high schools and state legislators. Along with his peers Brian Martinez and Hogan Veserat, Alex established the Warhawk Legacy Society — a scholarship fund through the UW-Whitewater Foundation — in which each graduating student can donate their graduation year (the Class of 2020 would donate $20.20 each) to fund a scholarship for incoming freshman. “I think it’s a really powerful, meaningful message to incoming students that these funds were raised by the graduating class. I hope it motivates them to give back to their community from the very beginning.” A marketing major, Alex graduated in May with a Bachelor in Business Administration. He worked as an account management intern with Nina Hale Performance Digital, a marketing agency in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company, now called Collective Measures Performance Digital, has hired him full time as an account coordinator. v 3 Student Speaker Jaclyn Wolf With a beaming smile, a conversational personality and a natural ability to make people feel at ease — Jaclyn Wolf is the kind of individual people gravitate to. Whether it’s getting the kids at the church potluck “all riled up” or engaging in conversation with a newspaper subscription man at the grocery store, Jaclyn is passionate about people. And she greatly values empathy — that priceless quality that allows a person to imagine what it’s like to step into another’s shoes. Perhaps her diverse and large family helped instill that quality within her. Jaclyn is part of a blended family: she has eight siblings who hail from places as far away as India and Korea, and her extended relatives include people from Japan, China and the Philippines. The Janesville resident is drawn to community and nonprofit work. “I want to work with troubled kids, whether it be as a social worker or a police officer. That way, I can help kids, and be a positive part of their lives. My experience in the foster care system for the first seven years of my life — living in 11 different homes — and as an adopted child allow me to relate to children who’ve gone through similar struggles. I understand them.” For more than three years, Jaclyn has worked at Cedar Crest Assisted Living in Janesville, serving meals, working in the coffee shop and cleaning spaces. She’s also a drummer, pianist and singer who performs at church and in the choir at UW-Whitewater at Rock County. She is graduating with an Associate of Arts degree, and has greatly appreciated the personal attention and care that her faculty at the Rock County campus have given her. One of Jaclyn’s mentors is Ken Brosky, this year’s winner of the University of Wisconsin System James R. Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award, which pays tribute to faculty and staff who inspire in their students an enthusiasm for learning. “He emailed me at the end of the semester to encourage me to continue to pursue my studies and my personal and professional goals,” said Jaclyn. “He said, ‘There’s no reason you’re not going to succeed.’” A passionate Warhawk, Jaclyn will continue her academic career at the Whitewater campus, where she plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in communication. She’s also interested in the university’s criminology and nonprofit leadership programs. v 4 Commencement Speaker Melvin Juette When Melvin Juette’s parents drove him from the south side of Chicago to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and dropped him off for the first time, they said, “You’re going to love it here.” Juette wasn’t so sure. He struggled to find his place on a campus where, he says, no one at the time seemed to looked like him — Black and in a wheelchair, after a gang member shot him in the back when he was 16. And the high school honor student who’d been recruited to the wheelchair basketball team initially failed to balance schoolwork and the demands of the athletics program. “I struggled academically because I wasn’t prepared. On top of that I struggled with time management: I practiced every day and the team traveled. I ended up flunking out and missed my first chance to be on the U.S. national wheelchair basketball team.” With the help of Academic Support Services, Juette learned better time management and became a better student — and then a better athlete.