{"id":13609,"date":"2026-06-11T09:01:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T14:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&#038;p=13609"},"modified":"2026-06-11T09:01:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T14:01:43","slug":"veteran-navigates-winding-road-to-degree-completion-at-uw-eau-claire","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/veteran-navigates-winding-road-to-degree-completion-at-uw-eau-claire\/","title":{"rendered":"Veteran navigates winding road to degree completion at UW-Eau Claire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/05\/EAU_veteran-graduate_20260516_commencement_1053_0-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/05\/EAU_veteran-graduate_20260516_commencement_1053_0-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Photo: With support of a fellow military veteran alumni family, Jacob Oberg and his family traveled to take part in commencement ceremonies at The Sonnentag in Eau Claire, where Oberg graduated with a bachelor\u2019s in professional studies from the University of Wisconsin\u2013Eau Claire. (Photo credit: UW-Eau Claire)\" class=\"wp-image-13610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/05\/EAU_veteran-graduate_20260516_commencement_1053_0-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/05\/EAU_veteran-graduate_20260516_commencement_1053_0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/05\/EAU_veteran-graduate_20260516_commencement_1053_0-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/05\/EAU_veteran-graduate_20260516_commencement_1053_0-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/378\/2026\/05\/EAU_veteran-graduate_20260516_commencement_1053_0-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>With support of a fellow military veteran alumni family, Jacob Oberg and his family traveled to take part in commencement ceremonies at The Sonnentag in Eau Claire, where Oberg graduated with a bachelor\u2019s in professional studies from the University of Wisconsin\u2013Eau Claire. (Photo credit: UW-Eau Claire)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When Jacob Oberg prepared to graduate with a bachelor\u2019s in professional studies from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, attending the commencement ceremony on May 16 was not part of the plan. The U.S. Marine Corps and Army veteran lives in Maryland with his wife and their two young sons. Making the trip as a family simply didn\u2019t seem possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But thanks to the support of a fellow military veteran alumni family, the costs and logistics of travel were taken care of, and the entire Oberg family was able to take part in the glorious day of commencement at The Sonnentag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Grad finds his area of interest in professional studies program\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nYFq06_nKaU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Ken and Mary Smith, graduates of UW-Eau Claire in 1970 and 1975, have long been avid supporters of the UW-Eau Claire Foundation, and were more than happy to allocate funds to support this special occasion for Oberg and his wife, Kimee, a 2018 Blugold biology graduate and veteran of the U.S. Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMary and I hope by helping the Obergs that they will succeed in life well enough to eventually pass along their good fortune to others in need, especially veterans,\u201d says Ken, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kimee Oberg, who sent an email to the UW-Eau Claire commencement office to obtain graduation cords or a cap and gown to prepare for a celebration of her husband\u2019s accomplishment at home, says she was taken aback by the generosity and the people behind the scenes who stepped up to lend the family a helping hand. The commencement office and the Dean of Students office spread the word and the UW-Eau Claire Foundation staff joined the cause to help the Smith\u2019s generosity create a milestone moment for the Oberg family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cReturning to Eau Claire for commencement is especially meaningful for our family because UWEC has been part of our story from the very beginning of our marriage and lives together,\u201d Kimee says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Jacob, the in-person graduation experience helped to ground his bachelor\u2019s degree accomplishment in a physical place with important meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis was all so great,\u201d Jacob says. \u201cFor me, it really made it all so much more real to be here in person. Today really ingrained in my memory that I graduated from a real university, even though my degree was completed on a computer screen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwec.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/600x600_non_crop_non_webp\/public\/2026-05\/20260516_commencement_0011_2.jpg?itok=yLAEb2Cg\" alt=\"Oberg family\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jacob and Kimee Oberg were thrilled to share the celebration day with sons Liam and Lukas. Kimee&#8217;s parents were also able to attend.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Professional studies program meets unique needs across many demographics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When Jacob was thinking about completing a bachelor\u2019s degree after accumulating credits through a few institutions over his military and civilian careers, Kimee strongly encouraged him to look into the professional studies program at her alma mater. She says she\u2019s so glad he took her advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because Jacob and Kimee have two young children and busy careers, finding a good online program was incredibly important. Kimee explained how both she and Jacob have attended multiple higher education institutions, and from what she has seen, \u201cThe advising available at UW-Eau Claire is superior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The flexibility of the professional studies degree was another important factor. Jacob says this degree not only will allow him to apply for advancement in his current job at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, but it also helped him gain acceptance to graduate school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThanks to this program, I\u2019ve been accepted to Georgetown University for a graduate degree in biohazardous threat agents and emerging infectious diseases,\u201d Jacob says about the immediate impact of his decision to finish his bachelor\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis degree is ideal for working professionals \u2014 we know what we need and want to learn because we are already doing what we want to do in life. It\u2019s a solid investment,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As with other professional studies graduates at UW-Eau Claire, Jacob\u2019s story reinforces the tremendous value of flexible and tailorable academic programs. This is especially true for post-traditional students, according to Dr. Carmen Manning, dean of the College of Health and Human Sciences, home to the professional studies program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are thrilled that Jacob Oberg and his family could be present for commencement to celebrate his bachelor\u2019s in professional studies degree in person,\u201d Manning says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAn outcome like this one is exactly what the professional studies degree was intended to do \u2014 offer a new pathway for students of all ages, backgrounds and locations to experience the transformative power of a Blugold education. The fact that Jacob and his wife, Kimee, are both U.S. military veterans, working professionals with a young family, supported in their travel needs by another Blugold veteran family is just the icing on this success-story cake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.uwec.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/400x400_non_crop_non_web\/public\/2026-05\/WhatsApp%20Image%202026-04-22%20at%2009.16.43.jpeg?itok=KDh9oh4c\" alt=\"Young family, one military uniform one cap and gown \" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Jacob and Kimee Oberg juggled multiple enlistments in three branches of the armed forces \u2014 Jacob in the Marine Corps and U.S. Army, and Kimee in the U.S. Air Force. Between deployments in the Middle East and growing their family, each continued their education, Kimee with a master&#8217;s degree in public health and Jacob with an associate degree in business.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Deep gratitude in memory of a friend<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As is often the case with veteran students like Jacob and Kimee, the spotlight is not exactly a comfortable place to be, but Jacob says he has been grateful for all the opportunities UW-Eau Claire has brought him, including the meaningful trip to commencement. He adds that he\u2019s glad for the chance to thank one of his inspirations in going back to college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d like to mention a personal story that is such a strong memory for me when I think about the advantage of a college education,\u201d Jacob says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI had a good friend, a high school buddy named Charlie Johnson. He completed a bachelor\u2019s degree in engineering, and the night before his graduation, he was killed by a stray bullet in Minneapolis. I think all the time about the hard work he did, and the privilege of education some take for granted, a privilege he never got to see to its full end,\u201d Jacob says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI want to dedicate this bachelor\u2019s accomplishment to his memory as a reminder to us all that life is precious, and we should never take reaching our goals for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Written by UW-Eau Claire<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Link to original story: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwec.edu\/stories\/veteran-navigates-winding-road-degree-completion-uw-eau-claire\">https:\/\/www.uwec.edu\/stories\/veteran-navigates-winding-road-degree-completion-uw-eau-claire<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Jacob Oberg prepared to graduate with a bachelor\u2019s in professional studies from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, attending the commencement ceremony on May 16 was not part of the plan. The U.S. Marine Corps and Army veteran lives in Maryland with his wife and their two young sons. Making the trip as a family [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[96],"story_category":[147,146],"class_list":["post-13609","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-eau-claire","story_category-community","story_category-research-innovation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13609"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}