Michelle Latona comes from Mukwonago, WI, about 45 minutes outside of Milwaukee. Michelle chose to attend UWM because it was perfect for her in many different ways. It was close enough to her family, but far enough for her to be independent. She also loved how diverse the school was, and admired how much the university promotes love, kindness, and acceptance for all.

Michelle Latona

For the first year and a half at UWM, Michelle was a little lost in the direction that she wanted to take her academic career. The second half of her sophomore year, she started really evaluating her academic journey, and realized how much she enjoyed Communication courses. Michelle likes how useful and applicable to everyday life the classes are. In addition to majoring in Communication, she is also majoring in JAMS with a concentration in Advertising. Due to double majoring, Michelle is finding herself busier than ever as she is taking 18 credits per semester, on top of working two jobs. With that said, Michelle stated, “I’m trying to stay positive and remind myself regularly of how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to be here and get such a great education.”

Michelle hopes to land a nice internship in the upcoming semesters, and she noted that, “right now it is all about networking!” She is currently working hard on her LinkedIn page and communicating with people she knows in the field. After graduation, though, she plans to take a little time off and spend it traveling to a few places that are on her bucket list, such as Alaska and New Zealand! After her travels, she wants to land a job in the advertising industry.

On campus you can catch Michelle in the Union Station, or in the media and reserve library sitting in the comfy leather chairs with her coffee from The Grind! When she is not on campus, she likes to spend time at Bradford Beach, Oriental Theatre, and the various museums around Milwaukee. When asked about her absolute favorite part of Milwaukee, Michelle said, “I like that it is a big-little city. There are tons of new places to explore and yet the city itself isn’t overwhelming. You can get a pretty good grasp of the whole city in a few short years of living here.” In her free time, she likes to be with her friends and do various activities such as thrift shopping, cooking (Italian food is her specialty), and watching movies. She noted that she is a huge Leonardo DiCaprio fan.

Something so special about Michelle, is that she is actually the first of her family to attend a 4-year university. The Department of Communication is so proud of her for spreading her wings, and pursing her dreams. We look forward to watching Michelle finish her dual degree, and continuing to help her along the way!

By McKenna Skerhutt