Dreaming of Georgia: McCullen Willmert’s honors journey

As a College of Business student planning on graduating in three years, McCullen Willmert had no plans to study abroad during his time at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In Honors 100, a first-year seminar for new students enrolled in the Mark Stephen Cosby Honors College, Willmert — a Mounds View, Minnesota, native — recalls already being resigned to staying stateside.

“We were talking about study abroad one day, and I thought, ‘I wish I could do that. That sounds super cool.’ But I was on the super expedited track.”

Still, Willmert connected with his professor, Dr. Heather Fielding, director of the Cosby Honors College, to discuss one of his hopeful destinations: the country of Georgia. The university had no official trip there, and Willmert remembers being skeptical of the possibility of traveling and still staying on track to graduate.

To his surprise, Fielding’s eyes lit up while suggesting ideas such as: What if they traveled to Georgia to do research? And traveled over Winterim so he wouldn’t lose any time to his degree? Willmert was speechless — and skeptical.

“I thought, ‘This’ll probably fizzle out in like a week or two, right? But, hey, I’ll put some effort into this and we’ll see.’”

Now, Willmert is preparing to graduate at the end of this semester with a bachelor of business administration degree in accounting, along with information systems and business communication certificates.

He also returned in January from an unforgettable winter trip to Georgia with Fielding — one he helped plan from start to finish.

American by passport; or, an honors path to international research

Once he decided to pursue a research project about Georgia, Willmert joined a team of three other honors students from a variety of majors: Olivia Bishop, Danny Liakh and Michael Hanson. Together, the group began the process of writing a grant proposal, figuring out budgets and doing literature reviews for their project on decolonial art and travel writing.

“I got the chance to hone some of my writing skills I’ve kind of forgotten about when it comes to accounting. I’ve really enjoyed the process,” Willmert explains.

After many semesters of planning and preparation, the team, along with Fielding as faculty guide, traveled to Georgia and spent the majority of January experiencing its culture, learning firsthand about the country and meeting Georgians who have lived there for generations. After years of planning, stepping foot onto Georgian soil felt almost unbelievable to Willmert.

“When we got there, I was in a state of shock. The fact of all those years of work and I was right there.”

Among other standout experiences, Willmert and the UW-Eau Claire group hosted a seminar at Ilia State University in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, presenting their travel research in front of distinguished professors, students and guests. They connected with Georgian locals outside of the academy too, everywhere they went.

“We met everyone,” Willmert says. “From the former minister of education [Bela Tsipuria] to taxi drivers who turned out to be champions of diving for the Soviet Union to businesspeople who had businesses in both Russia and Georgia, it just shows that there are a lot of doors and opportunities out there if you take the time to talk with people of all different backgrounds and cultures.”

That warm welcome stuck with Willmert. “The biggest compliment I got was that I was an American only by passport,” he shares, laughing. “Maybe they're just embellishing, but I wasn't seen as the other. I was seen as a friend or a guest.”

Without the advocacy of Fielding and his honors peers, Willmert believes the trip never would have happened; and he recognizes the same of his honors college experience in general, both at home and abroad.

“Honors has given me a greater platform to be able to better communicate my ideas and communicate with other people,” he says. “I'm grateful for honors. There are so many opportunities that go beyond just the credits.”

Leadership and lifelong learning

Outside of his accelerated academic plan and Georgian honors project, Willmert has jumped at the chance to develop his leadership skills while at UW-Eau Claire. This year, he has served as the president of the university’s Mixed Martial Arts Club, where he has enjoyed broadening their membership and helping other students master a variety of fighting disciplines, from Jiu-Jitsu to Muay Thai kickboxing.

“My job is to help people discover their interest and passion with MMA, gain some new skills and develop themselves even beyond university so that they can live a fuller and hopefully happier life as a result of knowing how to do it.”

To nourish his passion for accounting and aid in professional development, Willmert is also an active member of UW-Eau Claire’s Student Accounting Society, a rewarding organization with a wide network and unique professional opportunities.

“I know it's a tough job market out there right now,” Willmert mentions, “But the Student Accounting Society really does a great job of bringing the employers to you, so you have the opportunity to talk with them.”

Willmert has held several summer accounting internships, too, gaining real-world experience with accounting firms and solidifying his passion for the industry. After graduating, he’ll be working as a tax associate for Olsen Thielen in Roseville, Minnesota, and preparing for the CPA exams. He’s not in Georgia anymore, but Willmert suspects his next adventure is right around the corner.

“There's always something that motivates you. And for me, it's the internal motivation that I'm learning something new every day.”

Written by Cami Hoth, a second-year junior studying business communication and marketing at UW-Eau Claire. She is from Stewartville, Minnesota.