Meet Our Students

Northland College students search for orchids as part of research project.

The Orchid Hunters

Last summer, students Adrian Bethel and recent graduate Lauren Sloyer ’19 battled mobs of mosquitoes and black flies, scouring the Apostle Islands for a rare broad-leaved twayblade orchid named Neottia convallaroidies. The western orchid is listed as threatened in Wisconsin, the eastern edge of its range, and likely extinct in Minnesota. Assistant Professor of Natural…

Northland College students Aaron and Sarah Houle stand in the Fitness Center

Houle Siblings Play Ball

Aaron and Sarah Houle of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, grew up around basketball—their dad was a coach for fifteen years—so they knew they would likely pursue basketball. They just didn’t know they would be playing at the same college. Aaron, a senior, is studying elementary education with a minor in social studies and sports management. He…

Northland College student Jimmy Moore in downtown Ashland.

Ashland Is Home

Junior Jimmy Moore on Moving North

Just west of where the Missouri meets the Mississippi lies a growing Missouri town called Wentzville, an area I should hope I know fairly well. Until August of 2019, I had lived there for all twenty years of my life. Moving to Ashland, Wisconsin was quite the transition as I adjusted to a new landscape,…

Northland College student in class

Science with Heart

Emma Holtan Attends Reciprocal Healing Confluence

Emma Holtan chose to study water science because water is life. And through that lens, she has explored all that the liberal arts has to offer. In addition to working as a researcher at the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation and taking Limnology, she is pursuing a minor in women and gender studies…

Northland College student Erick Marchessault

Student Researches Tick-Borne Illnesses

Erick Marchessault Preps for Med School

After high school, Erick Marchessault of Cary, Illinois, attended community college, traveled around Europe, worked, and made films—even won an award. In the mix of this, he took an EMT course that sparked his interest in medical school. He deliberately went looking for a small school to finish his undergraduate degree—and found Northland College. “I…

Northland College student Jordan Brennan

Hometown Favorite Chooses Home

Ashland hometown favorite Jordan Brennan is a star on the basketball court and off. He’s unassuming, humble—and he delivers. Kids look up to him. Teachers love him. Players want to play with him. Coaches want to coach him. Even when he one-ups someone, they can’t help but say nice things about him. Last winter, when…

Northland College student Lauren Sloyer

Finding a Deep Personal Connection to Place

The first time I visited Wisconsin, it was to tour Northland College shortly after I graduated high school. After a few hours spent walking around campus in the cold, gray May rain, I decided to officially enroll. After a few hours spent driving the monotonous interstate back to Kansas, I felt intense buyer’s remorse, tempered…

Northland College student Mya Simon

Stolen Sisters on Lake Superior

10,000 Native American Women Reported Missing

When I stepped on the campus of Northland College in the fall of 2018, I walked softly. Leaving my homeland in New Mexico was a drastic change, but like many students, I made the journey for an education. Entering college for the first time, I expected labs, lectures, and libraries. I didn’t expect that so…

Everybody Party

Northland Welcomes the Class of 2023

Convocation and the Everybody Party

Northland College welcomed one of the largest classes of students in celebratory fashion. Under blue skies and sunshine, Drummer Stevie Matier led 215 or more new students across Fenenga Bridge to the campus mall. Students each carried a stone embossed with their name in their hand—many gathered during their Outdoor Orientation trips in previous weeks—to…

Northland student Emma Holtan conducts research

A Chance to Speak for Lake Superior

Burke Center to Host IJC Public Listening Session Sept 25

Three years ago, I arrived at Northland College’s campus, largely because Lake Superior’s magic had long attracted me to its shores. By my first week living along Chequamegon Bay, I realized how much the lake had not only drawn me in but how being a part of this community means having a connection to the…