Dr. Lori Carrell’s vision is “to educate, inspire, and equip others to maximize the transformative power of the spoken word.” At UW Oshkosh, she has given shape to that vision in a myriad of ways. Students with a reputation for being reserved or silent always seem to “come out of their shell” in Dr. Carrell’s classes. I believe this is because of Dr. Carrell’s enthusiasm, ability to empathize with all students and role modeling of excellence in communication.

Dr. Carrell’s rigorous scholarship also brings much positive attention to the UW Oshkosh Department of Communication. Dr. Carrell presents her scholarship to audiences in a manner that is engaging and, like her teaching, transformative. When I see her name in the program of a professional association, I know that UW Oshkosh and my department will be well represented!

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Michelle Kuhl joined the history department with a passionate interest in history, race and gender that intersected her teaching and her research. At the center of her research agenda is a book nearing completion on lynching in the deep South. Since she arrived in Oshkosh, Michelle has also proven herself as a tremendously dedicated teacher of 19th century America, U.S. women’s history and African American studies. She holds her students to very high standards but challenges them with ever-changing, creative assignments.

Last summer, she won a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to incorporate more regional history into her introductory courses. Michelle is a strong and dedicated part of both the women’s studies program and the African American studies program. Michelle also co-founded a group that spent two summers analyzing the challenges of balancing work and parenting. The group built bridges across the disciplines and has helped to raise awareness of the difficulties parents face.

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Carmen teaches classes in rhetorical theory and criticism primarily for the Department of Communication. She has earned a reputation for being a superb colleague, a team player with a great sense of humor, and one of the most demanding and intellectually provocative instructors in our department.

Her genuine concern with the welfare of others should also be listed among her attributes. Nowhere is her blend of intellectual rigor and compassion better demonstrated than in her dedication to service learning. Dr. Heider’s successes in this area have led her to develop a course at Taycheedah Correctional Institution.  You can learn more about her work with prison inmates and other rare opportunities she provides her students in this profile.

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Role: Student Photography/Videography Specialist
Major: Journalism — Ad PR Minor: Radio/TV/Film
Year: Junior Hometown: Eau Claire, WI

"In Hmong my name means “tasteful” or “to like” whereas in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary it means “to perceive by the eye.” As an intern in the Integrated Marketing and Communications Office, using my eyes is exactly what I do. Working here gives me the chance to photograph and share the liveliness of campus life at UW Oshkosh. My job duties vary from day to day. Some days I’ll be running around photographing campus events while on other days I’ll only be editing photos at my desk. Many of the photos I take get posted on UW Oshkosh Today. With this position I learn to handle equipment and sharpen software skills, which I will definitely carry with me even after I graduate in May 2011."

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Role: Marketing Intern Department: Athletics
Major: Journalism — Public Relations Minor: English — Creative Writing Hometown: Waupun, WI

As a STEP intern in UW Oshkosh’s athletic department, senior journalism major Jordan Clark-Mand is learning the intricacies of sports promotion and making meaningful contributions through writing scripts, designing posters and covering events.

“My position is a catch-all for UW Oshkosh athletics marketing. I create a lot of the materials used to advertise home athletic events, such as posters, Campus Vision messages, fan competitions during the games, matches, etc. I also help write scripts for announcing sponsors and other University functions during games. Depending on what time of year it is, I help make sure the promotional schedule is set up for home football and basketball games.”

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Role: Herbarium technician Department: Biology
Major: Biology Minor: Theatre Hometown: Neenah, WI

Biology major Laura Klein serves as a technician at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Neil A. Harriman Herbarium, where she focuses on the growth of laboratory plants as well as her own personal growth, through the high-impact learning opportunities afforded by STEP.

“I mount and file specimen; receive, prepare and return loan specimen; and assist in research. I receive daily hands-on training with many unique species and typical taxonomy work, and I also gain exposure to the technical language of systematics. Training in herbarium management will no doubt be some part of my work after graduate school, which I am applying for now.”

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Role: Plone Migration Manager
Department: Office of Graduate Studies
Major: Master of Public Administration
Hometown: Princeton, WI

While Nate Wielgosh is working toward a Master of Public Administration, UW Oshkosh’s STEP is giving him the opportunity to develop both technical and interpersonal skills as an online content migration manager.

“I am responsible for content migration from the existing graduate studies Web site to the new Plone platform and overseeing the project process. I am also responsible for overseeing the testing and training of the graduate studies e-bulletin program.”

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Role: Campus Safety Intern
Department: Counseling Center
Major: Journalism — public relations
Minor: Speech communication
Year: Junior
Hometown: Beaver Dam, WI

Campus safety intern Katie Steil experiences the good type of stress as she plans events and communications campaigns for the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s Counseling Center as a part of STEP.

“I’ve never had to work on a campaign before, so I’m getting experience in all phases of event planning and logistics. There are so many aspects of event planning you don’t always think about, so it’s good to be involved every step along the way.”

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Role: Robotics Lab Assistant
Department: Computer Science
Major: Computer Science
Minor: German
Year: Senior
Hometown: Appleton, WI

Working with LEGO blocks and artificial intelligence is how STEP intern Matthew Meyers applies his computer science acumen at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.

“The whole experience of working with the robots has been great. Artificial intelligence and robotics are two areas that have always interested me, but until now, I had never been able to work with robots. It’s simply a joy to create something and watch it come to life.”

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Role: VITA intern
Department: College of Business
Major: Accounting Minor: Spanish
Hometown: Larsen, WI

As a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) intern Aaron Wintheiser has received advanced and international certification in preparation for tax season so that he can serve the community and overcome challenges as part of the Student Titan Employment Program (STEP).

“Working with the VITA program has greatly enhanced my tax accounting background. No two tax returns are exactly alike, which means that every client I meet requires me to use different information in different ways."

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