Andrew Leavitt, Ph.D. Chancellor | Official website
Andrew Leavitt, Ph.D. Chancellor | Official website
Sarah Bolwerk, a mother of two and an alumna of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO), is set to graduate with a master's degree in business administration. Bolwerk has always been inspired by her mother, Valerie Williams '01, who managed to earn her bachelor's degree in human resources while raising three children as a single mom.
"My mom knew that in order to make a better life for her and us kids, she had to go back to school," said Bolwerk. She will be among over 1,300 graduates at the UWO commencement on May 18.
Williams expressed pride and admiration for her daughter's achievements. "I am honored that she sees me as someone who inspired her to be more and do more. I could not be more proud of Sarah’s accomplishments, and for the amazing woman she is. Honestly, she is an inspiration to me!” Williams said.
Bolwerk graduated from UWO in 2013 with a major in accounting. She married Justin Bolwerk ’13 shortly after graduation, and they now have two sons aged 5 and 8.
After earning her undergraduate degree, Bolwerk worked full-time as an accountant at Oshkosh Defense and then Miller Electric Manufacturing before progressing to the role of financial planning and analysis manager for M2S Group in Appleton.
Despite having a busy family life and work schedule, Bolwerk decided to pursue further education after receiving encouragement from a supervisor. "He said, ‘Hey, if you want to be a controller, be a director of finance, be a CFO (chief financial officer) someday, I highly suggest you go back and get your master’s,'" Bolwerk recalled.
This advice led her back to UWO where she enrolled in the master's program in January 2021. Now about to graduate with her MBA, Bolwerk hopes that her journey will inspire her own children just as her mother's journey inspired her.
"I want to show them that everyone can be successful if they just set a goal and go after it,” she said. “It’s a balance between having big aspirations and going after what you want and that you don’t have to overload yourself in order to get there.”
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