In less than 2 weeks, a few hundred students will be completing their undergraduate degrees and becoming UW-L alumni.

On Dec. 18, the La Crosse Center will welcome students, professors, families and friends to celebrate the success of the 2016 UW-L Winter graduates. Students will be pursing various careers in education, business, music, and more.  During the weeks until graduation, students have been reminiscing about their UW-L experiences.

UW-L 5th Year Senior Richelle Flackey is anticipating graduation and her future plans. Just a few days ago, she accepted a position to work for a State Senator in the State Capitol in Madison. By switching her major to Political Science and being in College Republicans at UW-L, Flackey was able to find her passion in the field of government. She commented on the highlights of her time at UW-L.

Flackey stated, “I would say that UW-L for being a smaller school, has so much to offer! I love that there are hundreds of ways to get involved and there is something for everyone. I came into school thinking I was going to major in Biology and now am leaving as a Political Science major. I was also able to join a handful of different organizations on campus and was able to meet some of my best friends that way.”

Due to the amount of time left in the semester, soon-to-be graduates are thinking about what they are going to miss about UW-L.

UW-L 5th year, Jennifer Graham, stated, “I’ll miss the city, the beauty of the geography, and our beautiful campus environment a lot but mostly the people and connections I have made through classes, clubs, athletics and internships.”

Graham is pursuing a career in marketing and graphic design in the Madison area. She also commented on what stands out to her the most at UW-L.

“The thing that stands out most to me about my experience at UW-L is the sense of community I had with professors, classmates, teammates, everyone all the way up to Chancellor Gow, La Crosse will always be home to me, because of this.”

UW-L Senior, Jack Komro, is graduating a semester early on the pre-medicine track with a bio-biomedical science major and chemistry minor. He discussed how UW-L has impacted him these past few years.

Komro stated, “As a student, UW-L has challenged me in pretty much every way possible and has forced me to think more creatively. This has led me to achieve any further education that I may desire.”

In addition to Graham, Komro, discussed what he will miss about being a student at UW-L.

He stated, “I’ll miss the small class sizes. It’s pretty cool that our classes are small enough to the point where a student doesn’t have to go into office hours for the professor to know the student. Another thing I’ll miss is tutoring because it provided a way to interact with many different students, put a smile on their face and make a meaningful impact on their education and experience at UWL.”

Help The University of Wisconsin- La Crosse commemorate their Winter Graduates on Sunday, Dec. 18th at 11 am at the La Crosse Center in downtown La Crosse.