Alicia Johanning
Academic Advising Supervisor
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Slinger, WI…. More cows than people, like most of small-town WI!
Q: Where did you go to college/grad school and what was your major(s)?
A: UW Madison for both. My UGRD major was English, with certificates in Education & Educational Studies, and Leadership MS was ELPA, emphasis in Student Affairs!
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
A: Looking at other people’s pets, over-loving my cats, cleaning excessively, and not following recipes while cooking and baking. As my UGRD time suggests, too, I love to read. Currently digging through The Wheel of Time, it’s excellent!… but my favorite book is The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
Q: What is your favorite book or movie right now?
A: My favorite movie is V for Vendetta…… also love the books Life of Pie (Yan Martel), The Country of Pointed Firs (Sarah Orne Jewett), and obviously Harry Potter
Q: What’s a favorite trip or vacation you’ve been on?
A: I highly recommend going to the Austrian countryside! Mountains, fresh air, and trees for days.
Nick Bourke
Academic Advisor
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in Naperville, Illinois which is southwest suburb of Chicago.
Q: Where did you go to college/grad school and what was your major(s)?
A: I completed my undergraduate and graduate degrees at Northern Illinois University. As an undergrad I majored in Communication Studies, and I received my master’s degree in Adult and Higher Education.
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
A: For fun I enjoy playing video games. I have recently been playing Assassins Creed: Valhalla. When I’m not playing video games, I enjoy watching tv shows. With the new season of the Mandalorian going on I have been really into watching everything Star Wars. I just finished the Clone Wars tv show and now watching Star Wars: Rebels. The last big thing I like to do for fun is watch sports. Being from Illinois I am an all Chicago sports fan. Unfortunately, the Bears haven’t been “fun” to watch but that’s why there is NFL Redzone!
Q: What is your favorite book or movie right now?
A: Anything superhero related! It’s hard to pick just one specific comic/movie as my favorite, but if I have to pick one “right now” it has to be Avengers: Endgame.
Q: What’s a favorite trip or vacation you’ve been on?
A: My favorite vacation must be when I went to Italy for 9 day! My former supervisor told me about a Groupon deal (yes Groupon has vacation deals!) to travel to Rome, Florence, and Venice. Since that was literally my dream vacation, I scheduled it for after completing grad school as a gift to myself!
Brian Brannon
Undergraduate Program Coordinator
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: El Paso, Texas – so not too far from here!
Q: Where did you go to college/grad school and what was your major(s)?
A: I got a BA at the University of Texas – Austin, and an MA here at UW – Madison. I was a Classics major, which is the study of Ancient Greece and Rome. My MA was in Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies.
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
A: I love learning new things or skills that I can improve at. I recently started learning classical guitar to cope with the pandemic, it’s challenging but rewarding!
Q: What are your favorite hobbies?
A: I enjoy reading books – genres varying from pop-science to best-selling novels, and staying active through casual weight-lifting while listening to music.
Q: What is your favorite book or movie right now?
A: I recently re-read a book called Tin Man by Sarah Winman, it’s a short but beautiful story about the love and friendship between two men and a woman during the AIDS epidemic in Europe. It really is a uniquely touching read, and one of my favorites.
Q: What’s a favorite trip or vacation you’ve been on?
A: I don’t really travel to places, but I went to New York City one time in high school on a choir trip. That was cool!