With graduation fast approaching, I wanted to look back at my time here at UW – Whitewater. I came here knowing nobody; no friends from my town, nor people I knew from other towns. I am now leaving with knowing I have some of the greatest friends a man can ask for.
I came in as a Theater Education major, eventually learning that it was not my true calling. I ended up switching to Journalism before my Sophomore year, as I always had an interest in media. My junior year, I added my second major: Criminology. I originally wanted to become an Investigative Reporter – someone who would investigate crimes for the newspaper.
After failing to get a news internship and instead getting an internship with Probation and Parole, I realized that I wanted to pursue a career in Criminology. I then got an internship with the Walworth County Public Defender’s Office, where I fell in love with what I was doing, and learned that was what I wanted to do after college. I have been applying for jobs, and I am hoping to get one with the State Public Defender.
The Royal Purple will always hold a special place in my heart. It is where I learned to love writing and talking to new people, and it helped me grow as a person and as a leader. I originally joined as the Community Editor, where I spent most of the year by myself in the section. Eventually, I became the Managing Editor, which allowed me to help grow the Royal Purple as an organization and as a newspaper. I want to thank Dr. Zukas for putting faith in me and allowing me to help out with the newspaper.
I also want to thank the brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha for helping me grow as a man and as a leader. I originally did not want to join a fraternity; I thought it was just about partying, something I learned through the media. However, I learned it was a lot more than that. I had the opportunity to continue my love for community service. It is also a great networking opportunity, as I met many alumni and students of other Greek Life organizations.
Now, I am off to the real world. At the time of this is published, I am in the job process of a State Public Defender job up in Spooner. I am hoping to get this job, as it is exactly what I want to do. I get to combine both my majors and incorporate my Royal Purple skills into helping others. Hopefully I get this job.
My senior advice to everyone is not to be afraid of trying something new, even if it is something you are very against doing. I never wanted to join a fraternity, yet I did, and it was one of the best decisions I made here. I met a lot of people I never would have met and became great friends with those people.
