Campus Connection

Students share how Jungbluth Scholarships are shaping their futures 

Allison Schreurs hopes to make a difference by becoming a teacher near her hometown of Cedar Grove, Wisconsin.

If and when she achieves that goal, Schreurs says, it will be in no small part due to the education and support she received at UWL.

“UWL has prepared me in all aspects of becoming a teacher,” says Schreurs, a senior early childhood education major set to graduate in spring 2025. “The experiences I have had so far inside and outside the classroom have been extremely impactful.”

But as is the case with many students, a quality education may have been just out of reach for Schreurs had it not been for the generosity of donors such as Eric and Kristin Jungbluth.

Schreurs credits the Jungbluth Scholarship in the School of Education — a $1,500 award she received three consecutive years — and others for offsetting the cost of college and allowing her to focus on her studies.

“The scholarship helped ease a lot of financial stressors for me,” Schreurs says. “I grew up in a lower-income family and had worried ever since the beginning of high school how I would pay for college. This scholarship, along with others, has helped me pay for my bachelor's degree in early childhood education.”

Helping students like Schreurs is important to Eric and Kirstin, who view education “as the building block for so many other things in life.” 

Eric, ’85, remembers the challenge of pursuing a degree in finance from UWL while working full time to pay his way. It’s a burden he hopes to relieve from current and future students.

“We both came from small-town Wisconsin and families that didn’t have much money,” Eric says. “We worked really hard to pay our way through college, and now, we’re really trying to focus on students who have that challenge. While UWL still offers a high-quality education, and the cost is reasonable, it’s very difficult for someone today to pay their way through college working full time. By giving back, we wanted to help students come out of school without too much debt or too heavy of a burden.” 

Eric, retired CEO of Springs Window Fashions, and Kirstin not only established a scholarship within the School of Education — they also decided to fund scholarships within UWL’s College of Business Administration. 

Alissa St. Louis, a senior accountancy major graduating in December, says the impact of the Jungbluths’ continual support — across all four-plus years of her college experience — cannot be overstated.

“It felt surreal that someone who hardly knew me believed I was worthy enough to receive this incredible scholarship,” St. Louis says. “When I received the Jungbluth Scholarship, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. It was extremely motivating knowing someone had confidence in me and wanted to help support me financially through four years of college. I am extremely grateful to receive this scholarship that has shaped the person I am today.” 

Through their support of both business students and education students, Eric and Kristin have found a way to recognize Eric’s background in finance, along with the couple’s shared passion for education.

By helping tomorrow’s teachers through college, Eric and Kirstin hope they will create a ripple effect, with those teachers going on to make a positive difference in the lives of countless students. 

“Just the fact that we’re making an impact not only for future teachers, but also for all the lives they’ll touch throughout their careers, is really exciting for us,” Kristin says. “We support teachers so they can support their students. It’s our way of giving back and supporting education from the ground up.” 

In turn, Eric and Kirstin make a simple request of their scholarship recipients: to one day give back to the Jungbluth Scholarship Fund or another scholarship fund, if their financial situation allows for it. 

It’s a pledge some students are already planning to fulfill.

“One day,” St. Louis says, “I hope to support other students the way the Jungbluth Scholarship supported me.”