Kaleb Cravillion graduated with his bachelor’s degree in information science and technology in spring 2022. But even after the Marshfield, Wisconsin, native had his diploma, he knew he wasn’t done with UWM just yet.
Cravillion, who served in the U.S. Army for six years before returning to college, decided to stay on after graduation to pursue his master’s in information science and technology (MSIST). “Part of that was a result of UWM optimizing the veteran experience,” he said. “I realized that I could pursue my master’s within my military benefits.”
Those benefits are a big part of what drew Cravillion to UWM in the first place. As Wisconsin’s leader in educating veterans, UWM serves more veterans and military-service members than any other university or college in the state. The UWM Military & Veterans Resource Center works with other UWM departments — like the Military Education Benefits Office and the Student Veterans of America — to provide student veterans with the resources they need.
“I stuck with it because I was comfortable with the program and the advisors,” Cravillion said. “And I felt that there was more to learn.”
While getting his bachelor’s, Cravillion loved his time with Nonprof-IT, in particular. The program pairs teams of IT students with nonprofits that need IT solutions, a new website or even a redesign, while students receive academic credit for their work. Luckily, he was able to continue with the program throughout his master’s — even after he moved to Texas and transitioned to a fully online experience in 2023.
“It was a good student job — one of the best,” said Cravillion. “You do work that’s really cool. While I was in Milwaukee, I did most of Nonprof-IT in person with the students. And after I moved, I did it online for the nonprofit clients.”
Cravillion appreciated the real-world focus of the program, too.
“They actually let me work with a client during my master’s for my capstone project,” he added. “I reported to my master’s professor like a supervisor. Like, here’s the work that we’re doing, and here are the metrics that you were curious about. That was what was cool about the master’s — the entire program had you work on real-life problems. I didn’t feel stuck in academia.”
The flexibility granted by UWM’s online programs proved to be a huge benefit for Cravillion as he completed his MSIST. He graduated with his master’s in May 2024. “UWM has great options available. It was easy to find the right path.”
