University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
09/06/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/06/2026 15:55
Welcome Titans! UW-Oshkosh students descend on campus, prepare for the fall semester
UW-Oshkosh students, family and friends pose with "selfie" signs as part of Welcome events Sunday outside Reeve Memorial Union and on Leffin Terrace.
It's a great time to be a Titan on the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh campus! Sunday featured an ice cream social, pep rally and Titan March before moving to Dinner on the Lawn and bingo. The activities provided a fun, welcoming atmosphere for students and their families who were preparing to leave their daughters and sons at campus.
"You start a whole new life," said senior nursing student Austin Fuchs, who was serving as a Titan Welcome Leader with fellow seniors Alexis Ochoa, a psychology major, and Dana Ullman, who is completing her degree in advertising/multimedia journalism/public relations.
"You become your own person," Ochoa added, "one day at a time."
The three were part of the team enlisted to provide a special welcome to students and families. They were busy answering questions and providing their first-hand knowledge on how to navigate campus as a new student, ways to meet friends, get involved and for students to fit in at their new home.
The three planned to offer walking tours on Monday, helping students find the classes on their schedules and other buildings on campus ahead of the first day of classes Wednesday.
New roommates Veronica Lowe, left, and Briar Otwaska were taking part in the ice cream social Sunday on the UWO campus.
Many meet roommate online
• Roommates Veronica Lowe and Briar Otwaska were waiting in line Sunday at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh ice cream social outside Reeve Memorial Union. Otwaska is from Montello and an elementary education major and Lowe hails from Milwaukee and will be studying biomedical science as a pre-med for psychology. The two met online.
"I think we talked every week since October," Lowe said, explaining that the two discussed at length what they would be bringing to complete their room at Taylor Hall.
Otwaska said she decided to attend UWO for the education program, the community and the campus itself. Lowe considered the benefit of Oshkosh's smaller campus size when making her decision.
First-year student Brooklyn Threinen, foreground, was spending the afternoon with her dad, Adam, left, and his girlfriend, Angela, before they would leave to make a 4 1/2 hour trip home to Prescott, Wisconsin.
• First-year student Brooklyn Threinen of Prescott and her family traveled 4 1/2 hours to campus to get her set for classes that begin on Wednesday. Threinen said she is inspired to study nursing due to her diagnosis with a chronic medical condition known as POTS.
"I was 16 when my life changed (with her illness)," she said.
Threinen's dad, Adam, and his girlfriend, Angela, made the trip Sunday. Brooklyn's mom was part of the drop and go move-in last weekend.
"It hits me when I start thinking about it," Adam said about his daughter going off to college. He said he would take expert care for her pets at home, guniea pigs, Ivy and Sage.
Meantime, Brooklyn said she brought two plush "replicas" of her guniea pigs to campus and she decorated her room in Taylor Hall with "lights everywhere," a Nintendo and a TV.
New UWO student Lily Unger of Muskego, right, spends a few hours with her family Sunday during Welcome activities that included an ice cream social. From left are dad Adam Unger sister Lola, mom Leah Unger, sister Lydia, with Lily.
• First-year nursing student Lily Unger of Muskego was at the ice cream social with her parents, Leah and Adam, and sisters Lola, 12 and Lydia, 14.
"We're excited but sad," Leah Unger said of the prospect of their oldest daughter off at college. Thankfully for them, Lily will have a car on campus and is just 1 1/2 hours from home.
Like many students, their daughter met her roommate, a resident of Illinois, online. Lily laughed and said the roommates decided to bring their baby blankets to campus to help combat homesickness.
• Hannah Wooton of Waukesha was walking around campus with her parents, Chris and Carey, and brother, Dylan, before they would head back home to Waukesha. Planning to seek a degree in education, Wooton will be staying in Fletcher Hall. Her brother, who is a student at Waukesha West High School, was considering whether he'd have a chance at his sister's larger room and closet space at home.
Student Lila Coleman, left, stops for a photo with UWO Chancellor Manohar Singh, and her parents, Linda and Mark Coleman of Seneca, Illinois.
• New student Lila Coleman of Seneca, Illinois, was busy getting her photo taken with Chancellor Manohar Singh, near Leffin Terrace.
The medical imaging major and track athlete will reside on the fourth floor of Fletcher Hall with a roommate, Aubrey, who was recommended by their track coach who "put us together."
Lila said one of her track events is the 400 meters and she has run it in 57 seconds. She also participates in the 100 and 200 meters and long jump. She's excited for the indoor track season and practices that begin this fall.
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