Four graduating students from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire have announced on April 30 that they will be attending medical schools across the country following commencement. The students—Catalina Decker, Evan Stemper, Sam Stumo, and Hannah Zwiefelhofer—each shared how their undergraduate experiences at UW-Eau Claire prepared them for this next step.
The announcement highlights the range of opportunities and support available to pre-medical students at UW-Eau Claire. The university is known for building critical-thinking abilities, delivering career-focused opportunities, and preparing students for community contributions, according to the official website.
Decker, a biochemistry/molecular biology major from Eagan, Minnesota, will attend the University of Rochester School of Medicine. She said her decision was influenced by Rochester’s integration with the deaf community: “The main reason I applied to Rochester was the programming they have that integrates the deaf community in the city with the hospital. Deaf patients interact with the medical students regularly… it’s a unique opportunity that I’m excited about.” Her research mentor Dr. Elizabeth Glogowski said: “Catalina jumped into lab work her first day on campus at 150%. Now she is an excellent peer mentor who models compassion, patience and dependability in teaching new research students how to be successful peer mentors themselves.”
Stemper graduated in December 2025 as a biology major from Sussex and will attend Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He reflected on his cancer diagnosis as a high school student treated at Froedtert Hospital—the same place where he will begin his training: “It’s also the place I learned as a high schooler that I had cancer… It will be nice to know the place for all new reasons.” Dr. Julie Anderson said: “From the start, Evan approached his health challenges with a level of courage, grace and personal responsibility that is rare.”
Stumo majored in neuroscience and psychology from Sherwood and is set to join Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine. He credited peer mentorship for guiding him through college: “I had a peer advisor named Blake Vender Weide who was a year or two ahead of me in neuroscience… Honestly, I wouldn’t be here with an acceptance letter at this time without his help.” His research mentor Dr. Douglas Matthews described him as “exactly the type of person I would trust as my doctor.”
Zwiefelhofer studied biochemistry/molecular biology and comes from Eau Claire; she has chosen Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Arkansas among three offers received: “This school is fairly new… That is exactly what I hope to achieve in a future medical practice,” Zwiefelhofer says.
UW-Eau Claire supports initiatives such as partnerships with Mayo Clinic Health System and Marshfield Clinic aimed at promoting health sciences initiatives according to its official website (https://www.uwec.edu/). The campus features facilities like its Science and Health Sciences Building shared with Mayo Clinic Health System (https://www.uwec.edu/), contributing not only academically but also culturally within Wisconsin (https://www.uwec.edu/). National recognition has been given for quality education practices including affordability, student success rates and sustainability efforts (https://www.uwec.edu/).
These four graduates represent diverse backgrounds but share similar stories about resilience—and benefitted from resources such as academic mentorships offered by faculty members across departments within UW-Eau Claire.
