Alumni On The Job

Degree/major/minor: Bachelor of Science in Sociology

Employment: As of May 2021, I have full-time employment as a chiropractor in the Madison, WI area at "The Joint Chiropractic".

UWRF's role in your career preparation: I graduated from UWRF in 2008 with a sociology bachelors (BS), a doctor of chiropractic (DC) from National University of Health Sciences in 2013, and a MA (masters of arts) in sociology from Sam Houston State University in 2018.

I would like to send a "shout-out" to UWRF's sociology faculty for teaching me sociology, challenging me with complex material, and providing me skills that helped with both my DC and MA degrees. In short, thanks.

Advice to students: A great academic advisor, which I had, tremendously helped me with my classes.

Degree/major/minor: Bachelor of Science in Sociology

Employment: Customer Account Manager, 3M, Rosemount, Minnesota

UWRF's role in your career preparation: UWRF–River Falls' Sociology Department helped my career readiness by teaching me the value of thoughtful communication and research. My ability to apply research principles and statistics to Lean Six Sigma training and projects in my career has helped me tremendously.

Degree/Major/Minor: Bachelor of Science in Sociology

Employment: Substitute Teacher, School Districts of Hudson and River Falls, Wiscconsin

UWRF's Role in Your Career Preparation: UWRF helped me to understand what it means to be a well rounded individual. It has opened doors that were not available prior to my receiving my degree. I am also involved in a non profits that focus on mental health in our community.

Employment: Financial Assistance Specialist II, Dakota County, Minnesota

Employment:  Self-employed writer, author of The Crying Tree Diary, and Licensed Social Worker

Comments: As a student at UWRF, I was known as Lorrie Paquin. I graduated with a degree in Social Work in 1993. I was in a car accident in 94, so I wrote this book while recovering from a back and neck injury. I propped my key board on my lap and completed the novel over the next 6 months.
It was something that I felt was important to persons in the field of social work as well as to families, children. As I wrote, I began to feel more centered. I have never lost that feeling over the years and it has carried me far away from my humble beginnings.

I have worked for many years in areas of social work that deal with domestic violence and child abuse. I have been very fulfilled as a writer and a social worker. Despite the challenges of a very difficult childhood, I have come to view myself as a fully actuated adult.

I credit UWRF with offering professors with great skills and curriculums that give more than an education. I am most grateful to Dr. Nissen for helping me to learn and facilitating a healing that allowed me to grow beyond the classroom.

I have managed to pay all of my loans and grants and feel that my education was an amazing experience, and money well spent.

Employment: Community Development Coordinator, Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County, Champaign, IL

Comments: After graduating from UW-RF, I moved to Champaign, IL, where my wife is completing veterinary school at the University of Illinois. Here, I gained employment with Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County as a ReStore sales associate. I later transitioned into community development and construction. My broad range of responsibilities include writing environmental clearance reports for new property acquisitions, organizing construction files for audits, leading exterior repair projects, administering checks to subcontractors/vendors, processing grant reimbursement requests, and supervising volunteer groups during weekend build days.

Employment: Assistant Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Employment: Testing Coordinator, Inver Hills Community College

Employment: Corporate Trainer, Securus Technologies, Washington County Sherriff's Office Jail Management System division.

Comments: I recently made a career change from working eight years at the Washington County Sheriff's Office in the Jail Division as an Adult and Juvenile Correctional Officer. Now I work as a corporate trainer for Securus Technologies in their Jail Management System division.

During this transition I'm reminded of my time in college and how River Falls helped me to become well rounded and adaptable. Before college I wouldn't have considered a career in Corrections, but with my experience I'm now able to help change how technology works within corrections, which leads to better management in facilities. Couldn't have done it without my degree.

Employment: Probation/Parole Agent, Wisconsin Department of Corrections

Employment: Claims Representative, Social Security Administration

Comment: UWRF offers a great foundation.

Employment: Graduate Instructor (Doctoral Student), North Carolina State University 

Employment: Detective (sex crimes), City of Wichita, Kansas

Employment: Social worker, Mille Lacs County

Employment: I have been working for Lac du Flambeau Public School for the past 18 years.

Comment:  I got my Masters in School Counseling in 2000. I am now a Family/Student Advocate at Lac du Flambeau and I coach both middle school and high school girls basketball and high school track at the Mercer School District.

Employment: Financial advising with Banc West Investments

Comment: After college I started a company that provided services to the circuit board industry preparing components for robotic placement. After selling that company I went on to begin a financial advising career with Piper Jaffrey & Co. And I'm now with BancWest Investments/BP Pariba.

Employment: Working full-time for Somerset Police Department and part-time for UWRF Campus Police 

Employment: Work in an editorial office (publications) in chronic disease research for Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation.

Comment: Active in animal rescue.

Employment: I've been working as a Social Worker with Dakota County for persons with Developmental Disabilities since October 2001. Prior to that I worked as a Financial Assistance Specialist assisting families seeking public assistance benefits from April 1997 until October 2001. 

Employment: I work as a Psychometrist administering neuropsychological exams to help assess patients for a variety of different cognitive concerns and problems.

Comment: The most valuable things, for my job, that I obtained from my undergraduate degree in Sociology, have been the background I got in statistics and research methods. Ethics and any of the courses I took on diversity have been helpful too. 

A Psychometrist needs to have a degree in the social sciences because you need that background in statistics and research in order to do the job. The other psychometrists I work with all have degrees in either Sociology, Psychology, or Social Work.

Employment: I have supervised Probation Officers and other Judicial employees for the State of Colorado's 13th Judicial District for a little over 10 years. 

Employment: Payroll and Benefits Specialist, McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research/Oncology Department at UW-Madison's School of Medicine for the past eight years.

Employment: In graduate school

Employment: Community Service Officer, Eden Prairie Police Department, Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Employment: Lieutenant, Lake Elmo Fire Department, Lake Elmo, Minnesota

Employment: Program Coordinator, Positive Alternatives, at-risk youth group home, Menomonie, Wisconsin

Employment: St. Croix County District Attorney's Office

Employment: Compliance and Risk Management, U.S. Bank Home Mortgage

Comment: After graduation I found a job in Post-Closing at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in May 2011. I kept searching for the next step and found a job as a Mortgage Processor with U.S Bank Home Mortgage in September 2011. After a year and a half, I applied for a new job within the company for Compliance and Risk Management. I am now managing the complaints received from multiple avenues including Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and other government regulatory agencies. We also utilize social media to help track customer complaints. My main responsibilities are to track and assist in the response process. All the data I collect is use for audits within the company and by government agencies. I help those who feel they have been discriminated against or wrongfully denied on a loan based on criteria we discussed within Sociology. The Fair Lending rules and regulations, along with white collar crimes, apply to my Sociology and Criminal Justice Degree even more than I could imagine. Lately, I have been reviewing my options and possibly might pursue my education further by attending law school. I just wanted to give a big thanks to Dr. Davis, Dr. Wallace, Dr. Nissen, and Dr. Miller for all your help! ~Cheers!

Employment: Owner, Ibex Fine Art; fine art photographer

Comment: After leaving River Falls I joined the Peace Corps and served in Jamaica. I then earned an M.S. from Ohio University and worked as a college counselor in Newark, N.J. I earned my doctorate from the University of the Pacific and later was the Dean of Students at Sierra College for 16 years before retiring. Now I am a fine art photographer and own Ibex Fine Art with my wife, Imi, who is a fine art painter and a native of Austria. I helped create the first Quarter Abroad with Dr. Robert B. Bailey III and received the first Study Abroad Scholarship in 1963.