Fox Cities News

Lane Wohlrab, a nursing student at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UWO), is preparing to graduate after an 8.5-year college journey filled with various challenges. "It really hasn’t hit me yet, because there was such a big part of my time in Oshkosh where I didn’t know if I would graduate," said Wohlrab.

Coming from Mauston, a small rural city in Wisconsin, Wohlrab had high expectations for himself when he enrolled at UWO. He was the valedictorian of his high school and was awarded the Wisconsin Academic Excellence Scholarship and named a UWO College of Nursing Scholar.

However, life took an unexpected turn when he failed to maintain the required 3.4 GPA to keep his scholarship by less than 1 percentage point by the end of his freshman year. This led to financial difficulties and significant strain on his mental health.

Wohlrab took several breaks from university to work multiple jobs and save money for school. Despite these challenges, he remained determined to finish his degree. His motivation came from two personal experiences: witnessing the care his late grandfather received from nurses during his battle with Parkinson’s disease, and receiving care himself when his appendix burst during high school.

Wohlrab returned to UWO in spring 2022 and worked hard to regain entry into the nursing program and graduate as an Honors College student. Laurence Carlin, dean of the Honors College, expressed pride in Wohlrab's accomplishments despite personal obstacles.

After graduation, Wohlrab will join Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee as a nurse in the Transplant Intensive Care Unit. Reflecting on his journey at UWO, Wohlrab said it taught him that it's okay to fail and how important it is to ask for help.