“I haven’t seen a whole lot of school spirit myself.”

Riley Mean, 20, is a second-year finance major at UW-Milwaukee. Mean spent his freshman year at home while doing his classes online. He has had to adapt to all the changes on campus this year and go from online to in-person classes for the first time at UWM. Joe Brethouwer: How much time do you […]

“I feel like they try to get students engaged by sending out weekly emails and stuff, but I think that’s very high school.”

Caylee Pearson, 20, is a sophomore at UWM studying Business. Caylee started her college career online and faced many struggles and feelings of isolation her first two years here at UWM. With the mask mandate being lifted she’s optimistic that the atmosphere on campus will shift. Haley Timmerman: How would you describe your freshman year […]

“It’s really easy at a school like Milwaukee, a commuter school, to get lost and everybody’s head is down on their phones.”

Leanna Kraina is a transfer student at UWM. She’s a senior studying Communication. After coming to UWM in the middle of the pandemic, she had to adjust to the new normal of life on campus for students. Now Leanna is very involved on campus as a student and intern for Campus Activities Board, where she […]

“The isolation just made me feel horrible, lonely, sad and honestly, I probably didn’t cope with it very much.”

Zoe Garnett, 20, is a third-year Dance major at UW-Milwaukee. During the pandemic, Garnett lived in the university residence halls and would occasionally commute back to her home in Appleton, Wis. Before the pandemic, Garnett was interested in dance and activism separately. During the pandemic, she began to combine the two and she now works […]

“Before the pandemic, I didn’t realize how employers didn’t value employees’ rights.”

Maya Butler, 28, is a college-educated entrepreneur born in Milwaukee. She received her bachelor’s degree in criminology and law studies from Marquette University in 2015, and attended graduate school at Howard University in 2017. She realized long before the pandemic that the system in the United States was not built fairly, to benefit the people […]

“They couldn’t fire us; they needed us. I didn’t slack off, but I could have if I wanted to.”

Mason Schoof, 21, is a fourth-year civil engineering student at UW-Milwaukee. During the pandemic, Schoof worked at Walmart in his hometown of Muskego. Schoof gained perspective on the gravity of the pandemic through his experiences there. Natalie Hey: What was working like during the pandemic? Mason Schoof: Sometimes it was nice because we would close […]

“I feel like they’re hiring anyone and everyone.”

Olivia Overend, 22, was a hostess and training to be a waitress at the Wausau restaurant Great Dane Pub and Brewery when COVID-19 forced nationwide shutdowns. Before that, she worked for campus catering at UW-Oshkosh, which she quit when she transferred to University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Then, during the pandemic, she transferred again to University […]