{"id":9160,"date":"2023-02-24T09:15:20","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T15:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=9160"},"modified":"2023-02-24T09:15:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T15:15:20","slug":"three-jobs-two-majors-and-one-goal-at-uw-superior-drew-kerner-found-the-path-to-success","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/three-jobs-two-majors-and-one-goal-at-uw-superior-drew-kerner-found-the-path-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Three jobs, two majors and one goal: At UW-Superior, Drew Kerner found the path to success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

For Drew Kerner, who is originally from the tiny town of Radisson, Wisconsin (population: 240), attending the University of Wisconsin-Superior is akin to life in the big city.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuperior and Duluth are beautiful. I just love it here,\u201d Kerner shared. \u201cIt\u2019s like the perfect blend of the city lifestyle I want with the country life I\u2019m used to. It\u2019s the best of both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Kerner spent plenty of time doing \u201coutdoorsy\u201d activities with his stepbrother, David Gordon, in his youth, he also displayed an early interest in media and technology. \u201cI was always watching the TV news and interested in how media worked,\u201d he noted. \u201cAnd I enjoyed tinkering with electronics and trying to re-code my computer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerner is currently pursuing a double-major in\u00a0communicating arts<\/a>\u00a0(with a focus on\u00a0multimedia journalism<\/a>), and\u00a0digital filmmaking<\/a>. This busy student is currently taking 18 course credits and juggling three jobs – plus freelance gigs. \u201cI find it hard to not be busy,\u201d he said with a chuckle.<\/p>\n

A Natural Choice<\/h3>\n

While attending Winter High School, Kerner had the opportunity to earn college credits by taking university-level courses \u2013 through UW-Superior. \u201cThrough this experience, I learned that there was a lot to offer at UWS,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

And, although Kerner initially thought he\u2019d be a teacher, he ultimately had a change of heart. Kerner pivoted to studying media after taking a film and culture class, taught by UW-Superior instructor\u00a0Alison Wielgus<\/a>, who serves as Kerner\u2019s academic advisor.<\/p>\n

As an incoming student, Kerner was grateful to earn a\u00a0UW-Superior Foundation<\/a>\u00a0scholarship, which was renewed for a second year. He is technically a college sophomore; however, due to his early participation in college courses, Kerner is considered a junior through credits.<\/p>\n

Staying Busy<\/h3>\n

As noted, Kerner enjoys staying busy. In addition to his 18 course credits, he has several jobs. His \u201cprimary\u201d job is as a production assistant (and occasional on-air reporter) at KQDS Fox21 TV. Here, he works between 25-40 hours per week.<\/p>\n

Kerner is also a campus equipment manager at UWS, where he rents out production equipment for filmmaking classes, and as a freelance production assistant for the Upper Midwest Film Office (UMFO). There, he was involved in making the movie “Absolution,” which was filmed in Hibbing, Minnesota.<\/p>\n

Additionally, he is the editor-in-chief for the\u00a0Promethean<\/a>, UWS\u2019 campus newspaper. \u201cIt\u2019s an eight-page newspaper, and we have a staff of usually five or six people \u2013 all volunteers,\u201d Kerner said. \u201cI handle copy editing, layout and posting stories on the website.\u201d Kerner is also a published writer, with many stories featured in the Promethean and Fox21 website.<\/p>\n

With all of these responsibilities, Kerner has a few tips for staying organized. \u201cI try to be good at making lists and planning things out on a calendar,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Kerner\u2019s dream job is multi-faceted. \u201cOne day, I\u2019d like to be a reporter for one of the local stations, maybe even Fox21,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt would also be cool to make commercials or do research that would tell stories about the history of the Twin Ports area, like some of the old buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diverse Perspective<\/h3>\n

Kerner is a unique individual with a unique view of the world. \u201cI have autism,\u201d he shared. \u201cFor me, that means I\u2019m willing to do things without thinking, and I\u2019m slow to catch up on social cues. I always let people know if I didn\u2019t get a joke, and I let them know if I\u2019m feeling overstimulated. This world isn\u2019t always accommodating, so I work hard to make it accommodating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerner is also gay and says he has found a welcoming community at UW-Superior. He hopes to ultimately be more active in supporting mental health organizations and LGBTQ+ communities in the future, when he has more spare time.<\/p>\n

UW-Superior Experience<\/h3>\n

Thus far, Kerner\u2019s UW-Superior experience has been very positive. \u201cIt\u2019s a small university with great professors and fellow students,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been easy to get doors to open \u2013 either one at a time or all at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor instance, one of my communicating arts professors,\u00a0Tom Hansen<\/a>, encouraged me to apply at Fox21. And another Promethean staff member encouraged me to apply for the UMFO workshop. It\u2019s been an amazing experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Written by UW-Superior<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwsuper.edu\/newscenter\/three-jobs-two-majors-and-one-goal_news5297550<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Drew Kerner, who is originally from the tiny town of Radisson, Wisconsin (population: 240), attending the University of Wisconsin-Superior is akin to life in the big city. \u201cSuperior and Duluth are beautiful. I just love it here,\u201d Kerner shared. \u201cIt\u2019s like the perfect blend of the city lifestyle I want with the country life […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":9162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[110],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-9160","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-superior"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/9160","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=9160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=9160"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=9160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}