College of Letters and Sciences

Pete Killoran, lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology, says working with a college mentor allowed him to see his own future. Born in Syracuse, New York, Killoran was drawn to anthropology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Now he is a mentor to undergraduates in criminology and forensic science.

Luzma Ede-Hernandez, an assistant professor in the Department of Languages and Literatures, talks about how important it is for students to have teachers they can identify with on both a personal and professional level.

Hephzibah Kumpaty, a professor of chemistry at UW-Whitewater for 24 years, shown here with chemistry major Katherine Ceschi, left, in the lab, talks about her track record of training and mentoring students in organic chemistry research, resulting in several presentations at national and international meetings, including an invited talk at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa in July 2017.

John Frye, associate professor of geography, geology and environmental sciences, talks about choosing between two careers — meteorology and journalism — either of which might point him directly toward the eye of a storm.

David Reinhart, a lecturer of philosophy and religious studies at UW-Whitewater, talks about giving the students in his Religious 365 class, "Perspectives on Death and Dying," the option of creating an artwork for their final essay.

Tony Gulig, an associate professor of history at UW-Whitewater, says his students remind him of himself, 40 years ago. As an undergraduate student at UW-Eau Claire, Gulig met teachers who taught him how to walk the paths of history in someone else’s shoes. He began to see history as complex, divergent paths.

Ellie Schemenauer, associate professor of women’s and gender studies and chair of the Department of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, feels the most pride in teaching when students recognize their classroom discussions translating directly into their everyday lives.

Award-winning poet Marilyn Annucci talks about the choice she made to be a writer and a teacher.

“There is pleasure in leading students to that moment where they see something they didn’t see before. “They’ll read a story and they think they understood it. And then we start talking about it more and we start asking more questions — ‘Oh, wow, there’s all these other layers to it.’ And that’s really exciting.”

Anneke Lisberg, associate professor of biology and assistant chancellor for inclusivity and belonging, who also runs the university's STEM Boot Camp program, makes college possible and meaningful for students.