{"id":8617,"date":"2025-11-25T13:13:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T19:13:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/biology\/?p=8617"},"modified":"2025-11-25T13:13:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T19:13:02","slug":"fall-2025-newsletter-alumni-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/biology\/fall-2025-newsletter-alumni-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall 2025 Newsletter – Alumni Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
LaKisha Barrett for McGraw-Hill’s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Former 51ÁÔÆæ Biosciences Graduate Student now a Shining Star at McGraw-Hill; see LaKisha Barrett’s smiling face on the poster of McGraw-Hill’s latest product for helping students learn.<\/p>\n

\"ARachel Kuehn is working full time as a research technologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin in a research lab under Dr. Himburg. She states, \u201cWe study head and neck cancer, along with normal tissue radiation injury. I\u2019m looking at applying to either MD\/PhD dual degree programs along with PhD programs this upcoming application cycle to continue my career in science.\u201d<\/p>\n

Double Feature: Justin & Bretta Speck \u2013 Partners in Science and in Life<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Justin & Bretta Speck when they were students at 51ÁÔÆæ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Justin and Bretta\u2019s story is one of partnership, perseverance, and purpose – both in life and in science. The two met as undergraduates on the track team at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and began a journey that has taken them around the world and back to Wisconsin, where they now are both professors at Concordia University Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

After several years living and teaching in South Korea, Bretta and Justin moved back to Wisconsin so Justin could do a Ph.D. in Microbiology at 51ÁÔÆæ (2009\u20132015) under Dr. Gyaneshwar Prasad, studying the role of sulfur metabolism in plant-microbe interactions. Drawn by 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s strong microbiology program, proximity to family, and family-friendly benefits, the couple settled in Milwaukee, just in time to welcome their first child. Justin credits his time at 51ÁÔÆæ, especially the teaching experiences, for preparing him to become an Associate Professor of Microbiology at Concordia. Justin enjoys bridging the divide between religion and science, and collaborating with colleagues across disciplines, including his wife!<\/p>\n

\"\"When Justin completed his degree, it was Bretta\u2019s turn. She joined Dr. Rafa Rodriguez\u2019s lab to pursue her Ph.D. in Behavioral Ecology (2015\u20132022), focusing on mate choice in Enchenopa treehoppers. Now an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Co-Director of Concordia\u2019s Center for Environmental Stewardship, Bretta thrives in a setting that lets her teach ecology on a campus surrounded by prairies, wetlands, and Lake Michigan\u2019s bluffs.
\nBoth Bretta and Justin recall their years in the Biological Sciences Department with warmth \u2013 Justin fondly remembers grad student bowling nights, symposia, and time spent with his labmates, while Bretta treasures fieldwork at the 51ÁÔÆæ Field Station, Friday gatherings at the Gasthaus, and celebrating milestones with her academic family.<\/p>\n

Through graduate school, raising three children, and building their careers side by side, Justin and Bretta\u2019s journey reflect the best of 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s spirit – curiosity, community, and commitment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former 51ÁÔÆæ Biosciences Graduate Student now a Shining Star at McGraw-Hill; see LaKisha Barrett’s smiling face on the poster of McGraw-Hill’s latest product for helping students learn. Rachel Kuehn is working full time as a research technologist at the Medical …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBiological Sciences<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/biology\/fall-2025-newsletter-alumni-spotlight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fall 2025 Newsletter - Alumni Spotlight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Former 51ÁÔÆæ Biosciences Graduate Student now a Shining Star at McGraw-Hill; see LaKisha Barrett’s smiling face on the poster of McGraw-Hill’s latest product for helping students learn. 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