Outstanding Graduates Fall 2023
Chancellor’s Award
Phoebe Hillery | Sport Management and Communication
Phoebe Hillery is graduating with dual majors in Sport Management and Communication, two minors, (Public Relations, and Digital Media and Production), and a Sales certificate. Her academic engagement spans programs from three different colleges and she was a member of UW-Parkside’s women’s soccer team for three years. Later, she acted as the UW-Parkside women’s soccer Director of Operations.
Phoebe has interned for over 2,000 hours with multiple organizations. She was the volunteer coordinator for the Wisconsin Marathon and helped coordinate 150 people for race day. She also helped other sport management students obtain Community Based Learning opportunities. Phoebe has also been chosen as a member of the UW-Parkside Professional Sales Team and was chosen as the treasurer for the team.
Phoebe also helps raise and train puppies to become companion or emotional support dogs with the VIP Service Dog Foundation. She has also assisted with the RootPike WIN garbage clean-up of the Pike River and coaches youth soccer.
Congratulations, Phoebe!
Outstanding Graduates – alphabetical order
Audrey Capodarco | Elementary Education and Special Education
Audrey Capodarco is a double major in Elementary Education and Special Education. In addition to maintaining an exceptional GPA, she was awarded the Academic Achievement Award, and was consistently recognized on the Dean's and Provost’s Lists.
In addition to her exceptional coursework, Audrey’s contributions during her clinical placements were truly outstanding. Audrey went above and beyond the academic requirements of her program. She made a lasting impact and even earned multiple job offers before graduation.
Audrey is also the student representative of the Educator Preparation Program Advisory Council. She collaborates with community partners in order to provide innovative, career-long educator development experiences that caters to the needs of all learners. Audrey has also worked with her peers to restart the Aspiring Educators student organization and was elected as the President of the organization.
Audrey also coaches softball, basketball, and track and serves as an education program lead at a summer camp.
Congratulations, Audrey!
Caleb Neill | Applied Health Sciences
Caleb Neill is graduating with a major in applied health sciences. He transferred to UW-Parkside in Fall 2020 to further his pursuit of becoming a Physician Assistant. He has been a consistent fixture on both the Dean’s List and Provost’s List throughout his time at UW-Parkside.
Caleb’s academic performance earned him an invitation to become a tutor. He served as an anatomy tutor for three semesters and was regularly one of the most highly rated tutors each semester. Caleb also received the prestigious departmental Thomson Fellowship, which only six students receive each year.
He worked for 850 hours as an ER Technician, where he assisted doctors, PAs, and nurses in providing care to patients. He has also shadowed both doctors and PAs in the ER. His volunteer service includes helping organize a campus blood drive and bake sale for the UW-Parkside Red Cross Club and serving as a member of the UW-Parkside Molecular Biology Club.
Congratulations, Caleb!
Johnathon Nowacki | Sport Management
Johnathon Nowacki is graduating with a major in Sport Management and a minor in Coaching. Johnathon was named to the Dean’s and Provost’s List every semester he attended UW-Parkside. He was also a student-athlete for both the Cross-Country and Track & Field teams.
Johnathon has completed multiple internships and also served as a volunteer Cross-Country Coach at both Kenosha Bradford High School and at Athens High School. Johnathon also worked on-campus as a Mailroom Assistant and as an Intern for Parkside Athletics where he worked on game day operations, statistics, event livestreaming, scoreboard operator, and website and social media updates.
He has also volunteered to assist with staging high school and amateur cross-country and track & field events held at UW-Parkside and volunteered as a Course Marshal for the Kenosha Marathon in 2022. Johnathon will begin his Master of Science in Sport Management program at UW-Parkside next semester.
Congratulations, Jonathan!
Megan Salinas | Master of Business Administration Online
Megan Salinas is a non-traditional student earning her MBA degree. She achieved this while maintaining her position as the Manager of Customer Journey at Andis Company. In this role, she leads a team responsible for worldwide B2C customer interactions.
Megan’s substantial professional background, acquired prior to embarking on her MBA program, equipped her with a wealth of invaluable insights and real-world experiences, which she generously shares with her fellow classmates. Her approachable demeanor and unwavering willingness to support her peers in their academic and career endeavors have made a profound impression on both students and faculty at UW-Parkside.
Megan is involved with Make-A-Wish as a wish granter and contributes to the Fond du Lac Humane Society by assisting with marketing and business tasks. She is commited to making a positive impact on society. Her involvement with local organizations, includes Adopt-A-Highway and Racine’s Habitat for Humanity builds.
Congratulations, Megan!
Olivia Weippert | Art
Olivia Weippert is graduating with a major in Art. She was regularly named to the Dean’s and Provost’s Lists during her academic career.
Olivia served as a Peer Mentor for the Art and Design Department. In this role, she mentored other students and organized and hosted events.
Olivia was awarded the Theresa Peck Award for projects focused on women’s gender and sexuality for visual arts. She was also selected to design, paint, and install a mural for the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs at Parkside. Olivia’s art has also been showcased at Parkside as part of a senior exhibition in 2023.
Olivia completed five murals for the UW-Parkside library. She also served as a committee member for the Art in the Library gallery space, which included organizing exhibitions and hosting events.
Olivia plans to attend graduate school to pursue a Master of Fine Arts with the goal of becoming an educator.
Congratulations, Olivia!