Among the class of nearly 400 undergraduate students who crossed the commencement stage at University of Wisconsin-Stout’s most recent ceremony on Dec. 20, five College of Arts and Human Sciences students were recognized by faculty and staff as inspiring graduates whose stories represent what it is to be Stout Proud.
These graduates shared their university experiences, setbacks and successes in UW-Stout’s Inspiring Graduate Q&A series:
· Sophia Moore, B.S. applied social science, Red Wing, Minnesota
· Gus Larson, B.S. technology education, Abbotsford
· Jeena Kim, B.S. psychology, Schaumburg, Illinois
· Opal Lawrence, B.F.A. graphic design and interactive media, DeForest
· Evan Mancl, B.S. applied social science, Chippewa Falls
Inspiring Graduate: Sophia Moore, applied social science
Moore knew from a young age she wanted to work in public policy and law. Her passion led her to pursue an applied social science degree at UW-Stout, where she became an advocate for student voices.
Moore served as a student senator for the Stout Student Association, later becoming a vice chair and then director of Legislative Affairs. She was a civic engagement student lead at the university’s Involvement Center, a student orientation leader for incoming first-year students and sat on several committees. She is now applying for several congressional internships in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
“Our campus is uniquely full of leadership opportunities, and our faculty and staff are so incredibly helpful in equipping you with the skills needed to become a great leader,” Moore said.
For her on-campus leadership, service and involvement, Moore received the Samuel E. Wood Medallion, the university’s highest nonacademic honor for students. She also was named a 2025 Outstanding Student Leader of the Year.
“The faculty and staff at this institution are singlehandedly responsible for my success in my time here,” she said. “Stout quickly began to feel like home because of the connections and relationships I have been able to build.”
Inspiring Graduate: Gus Larson, technology education
For Larson, UW-Stout was initially a fallback option. He started his college career at North Central Technical College, studying welding. But an accident during his freshman year would change his career path.
“I was headed home when I came across a drunk driving accident. I had gotten out of my vehicle to attempt to render aid to the victims, but I was struck by another car that drove through the accident scene,” he said.
Larson’s injuries were extensive and, ultimately, he would have had to take a full year off from his education before he could return. Instead, he transferred to UW-Stout, and with the support of School of Education faculty, persevered through surgeries and pain to earn his technology education degree.
“Due to the injuries that I suffered, I went through my first year at UW-Stout dealing with excruciating pain from arthritis in my ankle,” Larson said. “This made each day hard both in getting to and from class. I was given grace from my teachers when I needed to go home early because I was in too much pain to continue attending classes in person.”
Larson found himself leaning on his support system and pushing himself forward on his path to becoming a technical education teacher. “I want to work to expand work-based learning by providing students with the opportunity to take part in youth-apprenticeships and school-to-work programs to allow them to develop themselves not just as students, but as employees and young adults,” he said.
Inspiring Graduate: Jeena Kim, psychology
Kim chose UW-Stout because of its strong hands-on, polytechnic approach to psychology. She transferred from a community college because she wanted to complete her degree at a university with real research opportunities and applied lab experiences. “Stout was exactly what I was looking for,” she said.
Kim served as a teaching assistant in the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, where she gained leadership skills helping other students with data collection and lab procedures. She also took part in a research practicum examining face recognition, confidence-accuracy calibration and the “Clark Kent effect.”
Kim is a full-time certified nursing assistant in a memory care nursing home. Her time working there during her undergraduate studies showed her “how trauma, behavior and communication needs affect a resident’s daily life,” she said.
Having earned her B.S. in psychology, she plans to return to Chicago and pursue a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience. “I want to continue studying how the brain works, especially in connection to aging and dementia. My goal is to bridge the gap between psychological research and practical care. I hope to contribute to research-informed practices that improve quality of life for older adults with dementia, as well as support families and caregivers,” Kim said.
Inspiring Graduate: Opal Lawrence, graphic design and interactive media
Lawrence’s goal is to use her B.F.A. in graphic design and interactive media to make designs that consider the whole person and to work in a collaborative studio environment where thoughtful design systems and meaningful storytelling are valued.
“I want to contribute to work that feels human, not just polished. I care about how something works and how it feels. If the things I make can be visually pleasing while also being understandable and supportive to the person interacting with them, that is the kind of impact that matters to me,” Lawrence said.
Having graduated high school amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Lawrence enrolled at UW-Stout without ever having visited campus. “It ended up being the best decision I could have made,” she said. “Stout’s focus on hands-on learning felt right. Stout gave me a place where I could grow creatively and personally.”
Among Lawrence’s most memorable UW-Stout experiences were studying abroad in Belgium and the Netherlands — where she visited studios, museums and design schools and worked with internationally recognized designers — and a remote design internship with ARC Community Services, a nonprofit focused on recovery support.
“These experiences showed me that design is not just about making something look good,” Lawrence said. “It is about listening, communicating and creating with intention.”
Inspiring Graduate: Evan Mancl, applied social science
Mancl has always been interested in sociology. The prospect of a related degree brought him to UW-Stout. “The applied social science program felt like the best way to learn more about sociology,” said Mancl, who is a special education paraprofessional with Edustaff in Eau Claire.
“If I can be a teacher who students can feel seen around, someone that encourages the introverted to speak on what motivates them, someone who can destigmatize politics as partisan sports teams, someone who can make learning history enjoyable and can foster critical thinking regarding one’s surroundings, then I would consider that impact enough for me,” he said.
Applied social science, Mancl said, has a unique position within UW-Stout’s polytechnic model. “Sociology, political science, anthropology and history are all subjects that people tend to hold within high academia,” he said. “But truly, these are people who are on the ground constantly, studying the built environment of society. Their findings contribute to important government programs and[GA1] raise awareness of social problems that many people talk about, but with very little ideas of solutions.”
Mancl said his capstone course, in which he pursued research on cemeteries in the Chippewa Valley, was the proud culmination of his UW-Stout experience. “Whatever career you want to have, whatever subject you want to learn about, remember this; it affects where you live and how you live,” he said. “Not just you, but your neighbors and their neighbors.”
Photos
Sophia Moore earned her B.S. in applied social science from UW-Stout on Dec. 20.
Gus Larson earned his B.S. in technology education from UW-Stout on Dec. 20.
Jeena Kim earned her B.S. in psychology from UW-Stout on Dec. 20.
Opal Lawrence earned her B.F.A. in graphic design from UW-Stout on Dec. 20.
Evan Mancl earned his B.S. in applied social science from UW-Stout on Dec. 20.
