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Student Success Stories – UWO Graduates

 

Alston Reece, BBA ’03; MBA ’05

Reece joined Rockwell Automation as Project Leader of Lean Six Sigma in June 2007, and was promoted to Project Manager in 2008. In March 2010 he was promoted to Manager: S2P- Process and Deployment. Before joining Rockwell Automation, Reece was a supervisor and forecast analyst at Kohler Co. from August 2005 to June 2007. He took on many additional roles including project manager and design team member for various projects throughout his time at Kohler.

An alumnus of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Reece received his B.B.A. and M.B.A. from the College of Business. During his time at the University, Reece earned high honors and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma honor society. Most recently, Reece completed his Master Project Management Certification from the American Academy of Project Management. In addition to the many membership and extracurricular activities Reece participates in, he is a guest speaker at Fox Valley Technical College on diversity and a mentor at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee College of Business in the Multicultural Program.

 

 

 

Shannon Hollimon, BS ’17 

 

Shannon Hollimon, of Racine, Wisconsin is a Junior at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Psychology and Social Justice with an emphasis in prejudice and discrimination. Shannon decided to attend UW Oshkosh because of its close proximity to home, allowing for a short and convenient commute home.

Her passion and goal of self-happiness and wanting to make a difference in people’s lives led her to pursue a career in law enforcement. “I chose to major in Criminal Justice (CJ) because I have always been interested in knowing how the prison system works in order to benefit individuals from backgrounds similar to my own.”

Shannon added, “My CJ classes help to expand my knowledge and answer any potential questions or concerns that I may have in regards to the specific area that I am interested in.”

On the UW Oshkosh campus, Shannon holds multiple leadership positions that directly impact the lives of various students. Hollimon is a member of the Black Student Union, and serves as a Peer Advising Liaison in the Undergraduate Advising and Resource Center and an Advisement Registration and Orientation (ARO) Captain in the Dean of Students office. In her role as ARO Captain, Hollimon assists students with registration, advising and enrolling into classes. As a first-generation college student, she is able to also share her experiences with students to help guide them in navigating college.

In recognition for her leadership in campus activities and commitment to enhancing African American student success, in January, Hollimon was awarded the African American Student Leadership Award and Scholarship from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation and Campus Center for Equity and Diversity.

“In the future, I would like to work in a field where I am somehow able to look more into reducing the mass incarceration of African American men and juveniles.”

 

 

 

 

Zahra Mousavi, MS ’18

Zahra Mousavi, of Afghanistan is a graduate student in the Educational Leadership and Policy program at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Oshkosh. Zahra decided to attend UW Oshkosh because she knew someone from Oshkosh, and that individual helped connect her to UW Oshkosh.

Zahra says that Oshkosh helped make her a success. “I really like the program that I am in. I learned a lot from the textbooks and classes, and professors are really nice.” She goes on to explain how all of her professors were helpful and understood the fact that she was an international student. “They have been really encouraging and supportive, especially because they knew that I was an international student so they understood the language barrier and cultural barriers, they supported me a lot.”

Zahra interned in the Multicultural Retention Programs office in Fall 2017 and will be graduating with a Master of Science in Educational Leadership and Policy in Spring 2018.  Zahra’s goal for after graduation is to apply for her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy. Her advice for other students is to focus on their studies. “Sometimes students forget why they are in college and cannot be successful after graduation because they spend their time having fun.” One final piece of advice Zahra has for students is to appreciate that they have access to good education. “Having access to good education is something that some people around the world do not have. Like in my country a lot of people do not have access to formal education and my advice is to not take for granted the opportunities and all the facilities that you have.”