Hailee J. Bartz

UWM was not my original path and neither were the areas of study I found home in. Life rarely abides to such plans, however, and I have to say I am quite pleased with the direction my studies have taken. This spring I will be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and Film Studies, as well as a minor in Religious Studies. My love for Art History has flourished at UWM, and I found that studying images was a true passion of mine.

On a whim, I decided to take Introduction to Film Studies as an elective and I fell in love with the class. Professor Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece persuaded me to take up a minor in the field, which eventually turned into a double major. Making that decision has truly been one of the most fulfilling choices of my academic career. So many professors at UWM have touched my life: Michael Aschenbrenner, Zachary Finch, Richard Leson, Jocelyn SG, Tami Williams—all of whom have challenged me to be a better student and encouraged me to be where I am today. As a result, I have realized that I want to pursue a career in teaching in hopes to inspire students the same way I was.