Wisconsin Stories

Alex Olson, 21, is a full-time student at UW-Milwaukee. He started his journey at UWM in the fall of 2018 and, like many other students, faced challenges throughout the pandemic. Bennett Vance sat down with Olson to understand more about UW-Milwaukee’s campus life and social scene. Bennett Vance: What was it that drew you to […]

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 […]

Elliot Kite, 20, is a Marketing major at UW-Milwaukee. Kite, a Junior in college, was born and raised in Wauwatosa, Wis. Even though he says his college experience was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, he did not allow it to ruin his experience. It did, however, allow him to gain perspective and reflect on his […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Cullen Wilson, 24, is originally from Christchurch, New Zealand. He started the immigration process in the United States in January of 2020 and got married a month later. What seemed to start as a year of endless possibilities soon became a horror as the COVID-19 pandemic grasped the world. As Wilson’s immigration process progressed and […]

Mark Cole, 22, is a student at UW-Milwaukee. His major is business, and he will graduate in spring. When the pandemic started, he was not looking for a job. That decision quickly changed. Q- Jamous Powell: What is your current job and what is it like working during the pandemic? A- Mark Cole: I currently […]

David Kotke, 58, has been a bartender his whole life. When the pandemic hit, his bar closed permanently. For the first time in a long time, he was left without a clue of what came next. David was planning to retire from that same bar in a few years time. He was unemployed through most […]

Reide Pearson, 20, studies film at Columbia College Chicago, but the pandemic forced her to move back home to a suburb of St. Louis and pick up a job at a retailer. Now she’s back in Chicago and has reflected on work during the pandemic, as well as work in general. Q Hunter Turpin: While […]

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Luca Bidini, 20, is currently in his second year as a political science major at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. After losing his job and transferring schools, Luca shares his insight on the pandemic from the perspective of America’s neighbor to the north. Q – Hunter Rogers: Did You have […]