Ian Matthew Shoppach

When I first began my postsecondary education at UWM-Waukesha, I never would have imagined that I would be here today. I had no idea what I wanted to major in, and I just started taking Gen Eds to work toward an Associate of Arts and Sciences (AAS). However, it was the encouragement of my academic advisors, the universality of certain classes that built upon one another, and the support of my family that I was able to turn these classes into a BA in Psychology while also pursuing minors in sociology and Spanish. I truly didn't have a focus for my major until junior year, but here I am, graduating on-time as a senior. These experiences taught me that every student's path is unique, and there's no general rulebook for how one's educational experience is supposed to look. Ironically, my plans for the future are to return to UWM in the fall as a post-baccalaureate student to major in sociology and Spanish. Two year ago, if someone had told me I was going to go back to school right after I graduated, I may have laughed. However, sometimes, you just need to take your educational career step-by-step. Don't rule out any possibilities, because with the right support network, your education can be more than you could ever imagine.