When she was appointed as executive director in January 2022, Dr. Melinda Brennan became the first woman of color to lead the Wisconsin affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union. “It doesn’t feel like a breaking ceiling,” she said. “There’s …
When Ashley Valentine was a child, she loved to read but was disappointed that few of the characters in books looked like her. “Books were kind of a haven for me,” said Valentine, a UWM alumna who just opened her …
Mark your calendars for April: There is a new art exhibition coming to the Milwaukee area, featuring scenes from the UW-Milwaukee Field Station. As thanks for serving as the inspiration for the art, profits from the sale of the paintings …
Green is a way of life for Sasha Stone. As the founder of Green Life Trading Co., a Madison-based retail store offering sustainable and renewable products for cleaning, health, and beauty, she’s opened up an avenue for people who want …
You can never learn enough about what history has to teach you. That’s why 73-year-old history graduate student Clayborn Benson, who leads the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum, is still educating himself and others. “Mentally I wasn’t ready before, …
Note: All links below go to external sites. Josh Rosenberg was eating Thai food on his couch when he won an Oscar. The award, in the “Best Short Documentary” category, was for Breakwater Studio’s film “The Queen of Basketball.” Rosenberg …
Millenia ago, before the pyramids were built, before the development of pottery, before mammoths and mastodons went extinct, children were splashing in puddles on the shores of paleo-lake Otero in the Tularosa Basin. Nearby, a mother walked along the shore, …
Samantha Danen is a bit of a beer nerd. She began homebrewing while she majored in art history at UWM, and fell in love. But when she tried to get a job in the craft beer industry, Danen found herself …
From “Star Trek” to the SETI program, humanity loves to speculate on a burning question: Is there alien life somewhere out there in the vast reaches of the universe? For Dirk Schulze-Makuch, the question isn’t so speculative: It’s his job. …
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a pioneering sort of place. Nestled right on the California coastline – the building has decks that stretch out over Monterey Bay itself – the aquarium was the first institution to build a living kelp …
Ryan Sorenson’s mother gives good advice. “Growing up, my mom always said, ‘Don’t sit on the sidelines and complain. Get in the game and make a difference,” he recalled from his desk in the mayor’s office in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. “I …
After completing my Urban Geography BA in 2018, I launched an Instagram account called “The Wisconsinista” that combined my passion for tourism with my knowledge of Wisconsin and its geography, both environmental and cultural. Through sharing travel guides, hikes, tips, …
You’ve probably heard his voice over the airwaves during his morning show on WTMJ Radio. If not, you probably watched him comfort a grieving city in the aftermath of the 2012 Sikh temple shooting. And if you were at UWM …
On the straight-edged corner of Becher and 1st Street lies the Twisted Path Distillery. The front doors open into a tasting room with scattered tables, a polished bar, and racks upon racks of flavored spirits. Beyond the tasting room, owner …
It was March of 2020 and Rafael Acevedo was scrambling to protect nearly 1,000 of Milwaukee’s most vulnerable citizens. As the city’s grant compliance manager, Acevedo is responsible for overseeing Milwaukee’s efforts to end homelessness. He works closely with nonprofit …
