It was the end of February when Jessica Elum, a UW-Oshkosh graduate, started fielding questions from her son Remi, 9, about college.
“… So, we took a driving tour around the UW-Oshkosh campus, and I pointed out the residence halls, academic buildings, common areas and so on,” wrote Jessica, ’08, in a February 25 Facebook post to an Oshkosh community group, looking for some guidance, hoping for a spring visit.
“I know they do tours for high school students who are looking to go there,” she wrote, “but does anyone know if they ever have any community tour days where you can bring younger kids to see the campus and go inside the buildings? Or is it possible to just take him inside the buildings myself as a non-student? I am an alumni, but it’s been almost 20 years since I was a student and I’m not quite sure who to ask this question to. Thanks in advance for any insight you have to give!”
Remi’s personalized tour launches from Culver Family Welcome Center.
We saw Jessica’s February post. And we responded. Big time. (Sure, we can shape tours for 9-year-olds!).
On April 11, UWO’s Admissions team delivered on the experience Jessica and Remi hoped for.
They had a pretty amazing, personalized tour at UWO. Remi got a spin through the campus courtesy of human services student and UWO Admissions tour guide Maddy Blaser.
“Remi has decided he is ready to graduate elementary, skip middle and high school and come right to college,” Jessica said after her son’s day at UWO. “I think he will be a future Titan!”
Blaser was thrilled to hear the review.
“I am happy to hear that they both had such a good time at UW-Oshkosh, and it was so sweet to learn about Remi’s interest and Jessica’s experiences when she was at UW Oshkosh compared to how the campus has grown,” she said.
We decided we’d throw a few more questions Jessica’s, Remi’s and Maddy’s way.
Here’s what they shared about 9-year-old Remi’s big day at UWO…
Share a little bit about your favorite parts of visiting UW-Oshkosh.
REMI: I really liked seeing the dorms (we went inside Fletcher Hall) because they looked like a hotel inside, and I really liked the Rec Center. I liked that you
Remi checks out a residence hall room in Fletcher Hall.
could play soccer, basketball and pickleball. I also liked seeing the nursing robots and learning what students can do with them. The science hall was very interesting, and it’s what I want to do when I come to UWO.
Can you explain again what inspired your outreach those few months ago?
JESSICA: We drive through the campus sometimes to get around town, and Remi’s cousin is attending UWO. He was curious how a campus works and told me
it sounds basically like “a little town.” I told him it is and has its own culture. I also told him I used to go there before he was born, and it has changed a lot since then. He had more questions, and I asked him if he would like to explore around campus and he said, “yes.” I asked on a local Facebook page about how to best go about that since the campus has changed so much since I went there so long ago. People had great suggestions like “take him for lunch at Reeve, walk around on our own since academic buildings are open,” etc. Then, I believe someone tagged (a staff member) and they reached out to set up the tour. And I’m so glad they did!
Remi and his personal UWO tour guide, Maddy.
MADDY: To start, we walked through the Rec (Student Recreation and Wellness Center) with Remi, learning that he loves soccer. While basketball is fun, soccer is by far his favorite. When we left the Rec, his mom pointed out the rocks near the riverfront, mentioning they reminded her of dinosaurs. In that, Remi shared his love for dinosaurs, and I knew we would need to go on a dinosaur hunt at UW-Oshkosh. We traveled around campus, stopping in Clow to see the super cool (Nursing) simulation labs, then making our way to Harrington Hall. I shared with Remi that “there has been a dinosaur spotting in this building, and we are likely to find one here.” I saw his excitement grow as we entered Harrington, and the second he saw the dinosaur skulls and bones in the building, he ensured to educate both myself and his mom about the type of dinosaurs, the bones and fossils.
Does Remi have an idea about what he’d like to be when he grows up?
Remi and the allosaurus skull in Harrington Hall.
REMI: I want to be a paleontologist, and I really enjoyed seeing the dinosaur and fossils. I could recognize right away that it was an allosaurus. I liked seeing how many artifacts there were at UWO and that I can study something there I already know so much about.
A few basics, Jessica: Is your family living in Oshkosh or somewhere else? What year did you, Jessica, graduate and what was your degree earned?
JESSICA: We do live in Oshkosh, and I am originally from Oshkosh. I graduated in 2008 and used to work for the Parking department as a student. I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. I am no longer in the education field, but my degree has gotten me lots of opportunities because employers know educators tend to be life-long learners. I now work at Oshkosh Defense and always enjoy learning new things and taking on new projects. Remi loves learning in and outside the classroom as well, and I will always help him explore anything he is interested in if I’m able.
Any memories you had while you were touring the campus with your son?
Remi visiting the UWO Nursing Simulation Training Center.
JESSICA: I loved seeing him interact with Maddy, who was simply amazing. It was so fun to see my son exploring a campus I used to go to and also was a really neat foreshadowing into the future. He told me he is super excited about college now, and that makes me really happy that he saw what it is like and is looking forward to it. I think I will look for other opportunities to take him to campus. If there’s ever any community or kid-friendly events, we will definitely make an effort to come. The homecoming football game is something that sticks out in my mind as something that would be really fun for us to go to.
MADDY: Stumbling upon a Geology course, we were able to say hi to the professor before class started. Remi shared his desire to graduate elementary school, skip middle and high school and hop straight into college. While I was excited for college during my senior year of high school, I was not focusing on college at 9 years old.
Any final thoughts on your big day at UWO, Remi?
REMI: College is amazing, and more people should go to UWO because it’s fun, and you can learn a lot. There’s lots of activities, and they are all close together.
MADDY: Giving a tour to Remi helped me realize, if I have a dream or passion, even if it seems small, I should pursue it, and, if it’s meant to be, it will happen.
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