After Penny Warren’s children graduated from college, the 44-year-old police dispatcher decided: “Now it’s my turn.” She enrolled at UW-Stevens Point in the spring of 2010.

 

Warren was awakened to her impact on the world around her while taking environmental classes. Professor Holly Petrillo instructed students in a natural resources class to keep track of their water use for one week. Warren was astounded by how much she had used. An environmental geology course with Professor Kevin Hefferan changed how she thought about the world, and led her to major in GeoScience.

 

“I went in caring about the environment. I didn‘t realize how little I knew about the environment until I started taking classes,” she said. Understanding how everything in the ecosystem is connected was transformational for her.

 

Warren is among about 10 percent of UW-Stevens Point’s students who are nontraditional, pursuing a degree after spending time in the workforce, raising a family or serving in the military.

 

“I wish how I feel and what I gained at college for everyone. It’s a life-changing experience,” Warren said. “My mind has been expanded beyond anything I could have imagined.”

 

Warren has minors in Environmental Studies, Geology and Economics and hopes to find a job protecting natural resources or in environmental monitoring. “I am so passionate about preserving the environment, about taking care of each other and our world so we can live sustainably.”

 

She is grateful for her education and experience. “This place is fabulous. I can’t say enough about the dedicated professors. They go out of their way to get students engaged. I stand in awe of how much they do,” she said. “Everyone should come to UW-Stevens Point.”