2024 GNS+ Graduates

Major: Russian B.A.

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Hometown: Oregon, Wisconsin

Favorite GNS+ class: Slavic 245: Ukrainian Culture and Society

Favorite course from another department: Botany\Plant Pathways 123: Plants, Parasites, and People

Favorite memory from UW: After two years at UW-Madison one of my favorite memories has to be Ukrainian club (which is going to be the Ukrainian Student Association starting Fall 2024) mostly because it was a time to sit down with staff and students who are from Ukraine and\or are interested in Ukrainian culture, drink tea, eat Ukrainian food, and talk with each other. There were two reasons why I liked Ukrainian club. There were a couple of reasons why I liked it, but the main reason was that sitting down to have tea and talk about Ukrainian culture reminded me of the times when I was in Kazakhstan where I got to have tea and talk with my Ukrainian host-grandmother. We actually got know each other pretty well! Therefore, this not only helped with reintegration at UW-Madison, but also was a space for me to relax and continue to keep engaging in and learning more about the culture of my host-grandmother. Although I was only able to attend events for a year, I was able to meet a couple of students in my major, and get to know some of my professors in my department more who are from Ukraine and those who are interested in Ukraine. In light of this chapter of my life coming to a close, I would like to thank everyone in Ukrainian club for your support and for continuing to provide a space for Ukrainian culture on campus.

Something you learned about yourself in college: Sonya Moroziuk, a contemporary Ukrainian artist, once wrote on one of her paintings in Ukrainian “Don’t worry, be on the wave” (Не хвилюйся, будь на хвилі). I think the past two to three years have significantly altered the way that I look at my own self and the world. Over the past three years I have experienced a lot of change in my life. I started my first semester at UW-Madison during the Fall 2021 at a time when we were starting to get out of the pandemic. I studied abroad twice: one year on the Russian Overseas Capstone program and RLASP for two months in Almaty, Kazakhstan. During those times I have not only dealt with learning the culture and language, but also having to navigate other challenges, such as adjusting to changes at the end of the COVID pandemic, significant global political events, responding to earthquakes, and even having to navigate moving to another apartment with my host family.

With all of this change and uncertainty I have learned to stop worrying so much about what is going to happen and to stop being stuck in that anxiety. Instead of worrying I have learned to float on the waves of uncertainty. Whatever obstacle comes my way, I am able to calm down, take a second to think about how this affects me, and then be able to respond and redirect myself wherever needed. It not only takes recognizing the need to ride the wave, but also learning to have confidence in oneself to do what I can do to solve the issue. If I do need help I ask someone who I think could best help me in this situation, instead of always relying on myself or only one other person.

Despite mistakes that I have made along the way, without these experiences and the people who have come in and out of my life I would not be the person who I am today and would not be in the place that I am right now. All of this is what makes letting go of the past and accepting change more manageable. Therefore, the future does not seem as daunting and the past does not seem as nostalgic as we make it out to be. In the end, it becomes easier to live in the present, and not in your past victories and past mistakes. As a result you develop a sense of self-compassion and self-love towards yourself, which then can be used not only to help yourself propel forward, but also being able to extend help to those who are in need. I think that if transferring to UW-Madison and then having to do two study abroad programs has taught me anything, it is the importance of self-love and self-compassion when facing failure and big changes in life.

Future plans and dreams: I think that first and foremost I need to take a break. That does not mean dropping Russian and Ukrainian all together. It is more like taking a deep breath before moving to the next big adventure in life. I have imagined myself in many places, such as volunteering (mostly in Central and Eastern Europe) doing things, such as continuing my education in Slavic Languages and Literatures after this next year, and possibly going for a PhD if I really want to. I think that right now I see myself in many different places, but I will see where life takes me.

Any advice for incoming students? I would give two pieces of advice for people who are coming in. First of all, do not be afraid to take risks. By this I mean joining a club that you are interested in, getting involved in the community, or somewhere on campus to meet new people who share the same interests as you, and get to know them. Right away you are building connections with other students and creating a support system, especially when you are adjusting to the workload and life at UW-Madison.

My second piece of advice is to make sure to take care of your physical and mental health. I think that goes without saying, but sometimes your health can really start to slide during midterms and finals when everybody is studying for exams and at the same time trying to do all of their homework, and you have very little time to relax. If you do not take some time to relax and to take care of yourself, it is going to negatively impact your academics more than improve. Professors do not expect you to be a perfect human being and understand that there are things that happen in life that are out of our control. In general, if you are struggling with mental\physical health do not be afraid to reach out to any of the campus services for support. If you are struggling with anything related to academics, do not be afraid to reach out to your teaching assistant, professor, advisor, the Dean of Students, etc. All of these people are here to give you the support and tools needed to succeed and thrive at UW-Madison.

Major: Community & Environmental Sociology

Certificates: German, Sustainability

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Hometown: La Crosse, WI

Favorite GNS+ class: German Cinema (GER 278) with professor Fitzpatrick!

Favorite course from another department: Black Women Writers (AFRO AMER 222) for my FIG freshman year

Favorite memory from UW: My study abroad year in Vienna, Austria!

Something you learned about yourself in college: I really struggle with asking for help, which sometimes hinders learning in my classes and workplaces. This is something I still need to learn!

Future plans and dreams: I plan to take a gap year working for AmeriCorps and then return to school for my masters in library science, hopefully to work long-term as a public or archival librarian.

Any advice for incoming students? Find extracurriculars that don’t stress you out and endeavor not to let school work consume every day of your college years!!

Majors: Honors Political Science, German

Certificate: Middle Eastern Studies

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Hometown: Ramstein, Germany

Favorite GNS+ class: German 351: German Linguistics

Favorite course from another department: Poli Sci 515: Public Opinion (or any class with Ryan Owens)

Favorite memory from UW: Being by the lakes when it’s sunny, whether it’s on the Terrace, bicycling around, or sitting on the Tenney Park grass.

Something you learned about yourself in college: It’s important for you to stick up for yourself & your education, especially when you’re confused.

Future plans and dreams: Logistics Readiness Officer in the U.S. Air Force.

Any advice for incoming students? Add the German major!! Go to office hours. Buy the RecWell fitness pass. Talk to Joanna, she has your back, she’s a great advisor. Take a one-credit class in the Dance department. Never stop making new friends in class. Let your professors know how much they’ve done for you.

Majors: Psychology, Legal Studies

Certificates: Criminal Justice, German

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Hometown: Sparta, WI

Favorite GNS+ class: Germ285, I think, was my favorite GNS class, if that was the one with Dr. Melissa Sheedy, the intensive class with many credits. It was an exuberant group of people and Melissa facilitated our learning so well. She gave us creative liberty and engaged our interests. She respected us and supported us staying focused.

Favorite course from another department: Child Psychopathology (Dr. James Li, Psychology Dept) was my favorite overall class at UW because it is where I learned the most. Clinical psychology would be my area of pursuit, and this course engaged me with the diagnostic components of psych.

Favorite memory from UW: My fav UW memory may just be recency bias, but I would say that it is me and my hometown/Madtown best friend having two (German) classes together in our final semester at UW, meaning we would see each other every day to carpool and giggle and guffaw all the time.

Something you learned about yourself in college: College solidified the following for me: campus/downtown/urban life isn’t my speed, I like to live alone, and I prefer experiential learning.

Future plans and dreams: I will be taking a gap year readying myself to apply to the fall 2025 cohort of forensic clinical psychology PhD programs. In this time, I hope to find clinical psych research to be part of while also working likely as a correctional officer in a custodial facility. In terms of my German future, I will be teaching English to kiddos for a couple weeks in and around EU waters.

Any advice for incoming students? I hope students with previous second (and beyond) language learning take advantage of retrocredits, or at least keep up with their language acquisition in some way. I have a lot of advice – get into a research lab, be a TA, use the DARS exceptions, take classes that count towards “50% graduate work,” save all your syllabi for building your CV, try the spring roll cart. You can email me at jbkroegerwi@gmail.com

Separately, the photo is from when I was a research intern at a university in Germany the summer before my senior year.

Major: Journalism

Certificate: German

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Hometown: Antigo

Favorite GNS+ class: German 372

Favorite course from another department: Journalism 445

Favorite memory from UW: Getting to march and travel with the UW Badger Band

Something you learned about yourself in college: Don’t be afraid to stand out and take risks.

Future plans and dreams: I plan on staying in Madison and getting a job in social media or PR.

Any advice for incoming students? Be confident with yourself. Also, work hard but don’t forget to take time for yourself.

Majors: Molecular and Cell Biology, Polish

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Hometown: Chicago

Favorite GNS+ class: Slavic 245 — Woman vs Power

Favorite course from another department: Path-Bio 528

Favorite memory from UW: Playing with the Women’s Club Water Polo team and placing 4th at Big10s last year, which is the best the club has done in over 25 years. Playing the sport I love with the people I love, and growing throughout the whole season alongside them, has been one of my most meaningful experiences at UW.

Something you learned about yourself in college: How to believe in myself to take on daunting opportunities that seem too out of reach for myself in the moment, and valuing the journey that I undergo throughout the experience.

Future plans and dreams: Will be taking a gap year and working as a medical assistant as I apply to PA programs. I would like to be either an Endocrinology or Women’s Health PA working with bilingual communities in Chicago in the future!

Any advice for incoming students? Try as many new things as you can, no matter how intimidating they may seem! You will learn so much about yourself by doing so.

Major: Neurobiology B.S.

Certificate: Scandinavian Studies

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Hometown: Elm Grove, Wisconsin

Favorite GNS+ class: Kierkegaard & Scandinavian Literature (Scand St 426)

Favorite course from another department: Behavioral Neuroscience (PSYCH 454)

Favorite memory from UW: My favorite memory from college was studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. My favorite college memory at UW was being a member of the UW Alpine Ski Team.

Something you learned about yourself in college: I have learned that I love to travel and see new places both in the US and abroad. I did not travel much before college and now it is something I have made a priority!

Future plans and dreams: My future plan for directly after college is to travel to Denmark! Afterwards I would like to work in healthcare and prepare for medical school. My dream is to become a doctor, specifically a surgeon, and eventually move to Denmark!

Any advice for incoming students? Take classes that interest you even if they have “nothing” to do with your major! Some of my most favorite classes from college were completely unrelated to my major. I took courses in philosophy, history of science, geoscience, and music. Not only do you learn more about what you are interested in, you also become a more well rounded student!

Majors: Theater, French

Certificate: Folklore

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Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin

Favorite GNS+ class: Folklore of Wisconsin with Lowell Brower

Favorite course from another department: Set Design taught by Rob Wagner

Favorite memory from UW: Walking in the homecoming parade or eating Babcock ice cream and swimming at memorial union on a hot summer day.

Something you learned about yourself in college: I learned that I love to strive for perfection (a perfectionist as some would say). However, it is important to let life ebb and flow. There will be very hard times but also really beautiful moments as well. All of these life experiences and lessons I have gained in college have taught me to still strive for perfection but embrace mistakes and failure as well.

Future plans and dreams: I am moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in film an TV. My dream is to make my own film that one day premieres and is in film festivals all around the world.

Any advice for incoming students? My advice to incoming students is to cherish every single moment and experience you possibly can. As cheesy as it sounds, college flies by so fast so go try out for the play, join the club, take the class, and anything you can possibly get involved in during your short 4 years here because it will truly make these the best years of your life!

Major: B.S. Computer Science

Certificate: German

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Hometown: Fairfax, VA

Favorite GNS+ class: German Film (372)

Favorite course from another department: CS Capstone (CS 639)

Favorite memory from UW: Watching the sun set on the Terrace with friends.

Something you learned about yourself in college: Friends are the family you choose, having a good friend group and support system can change your life.

Future plans and dreams: Move back to Virginia to look for work, hopefully work on things that matter to people and make a difference in their lives.

Any advice for incoming students? College will go by quicker than you expect. Go out with friends, eat tasty food, learn how to cook tasty food, get a cheap bike (and use it), and have fun.

Majors: Astronomy-Physics, Physics

Certificates: Math, German, History

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Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Favorite GNS+ class: German 351

Future plans and dreams: I want to be a professor in Astronomy at a research focused university.

Any advice for incoming students? Be open to any opportunities that come your way! You never know what might be the thing that changes your life for the best or just gives you something cool to do for a while.

Majors: Psychology, Polish

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Hometown: Atlantic City, New Jersey

Favorite GNS+ class: Slavic 305

Favorite course from another department: Psych 601: The Psychology of Black Women

Favorite memory from UW: My choir concerts! I’ve been a part of treble choir since my sophomore year.

Something you learned about yourself in college: I’m far more social and extroverted than I thought I’d ever be!

Future plans and dreams: Hopefully pastry/culinary school, I’d like to have my own cake business

Any advice for incoming students? Be open minded, everything can seem really scary at first but just ride the wave! Everything will be fine 🙂

Major: Biology

Certificates: Folklore, Environmental Studies

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Favorite GNS+ class: Folklore of Wisconsin

Favorite course from another department: Green Screen: Environmental Perspectives Through Film

Favorite memory from UW: Spring break in Colorado with the Badger Navigators

Future plans and dreams: I hope to pursue a career in conservation/natural resource management.

Any advice for incoming students? “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” -Ferris Bueller