Reflecting on Planned Giving and Parkside: Karen Mandli ‘83

For UW-Parkside alumna Karen Mandli ’83, leaving a gift for scholarships in her will was a simple decision that will have a long-lasting impact for UW-Parkside students. Karen shares reflections on her UW-Parkside experience and the power of education to create change.

The UW-Parkside Experience

I graduated from Bradford High School in Kenosha, and I knew I wanted to go to college. I went to UW-Oshkosh for a while but then left and enrolled at UW-Parkside. I graduated in 1983 and majored in Organizational Communication, and I had a minor in Marketing. I chose the organizational communication degree because it could take you to sales, marketing, PR, or other roles; you could do a lot of things with it. I wasn’t really specialized but I knew I wanted to do something sales-related that would get me into the business world.

Outside of classes, I always loved Halloween at Parkside. We had parties and met so many people. I enjoyed going to sporting events; I went to almost every basketball game. A couple of my girlfriends were on the girls’ volleyball team, so I supported them at their games. Spring would come along, and I’d go to the baseball games. We knew a lot of the players. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the university.

I had so much fun while I was in school, but I also feel that I received a really wonderful education and a good experience in the time I was here. I made friendships that I still have to this day, and I have a lot of wonderful memories. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Career Success

After graduation I thought I wanted to go into the hospitality/travel industry, so I was pounding the pavement with my resume. But, I went into sales at a company called Racine Industries, where we did trade shows and other events. After I was there for a time, I decided to go work for corporate America. I applied at Abbott Laboratories, and after 6 interviews I got a job there. I wouldn’t have had the chance to work at a wonderful company like Abbott without my degree from Parkside.

I started at Abbott in a customer service role, in the diagnostics division. It was a wonderful job but it was very difficult. I learned about shipping, receiving, distribution, supply chain, working with customers, everything. It helped me develop into a good employee, and I learned a lot about myself and the company. After I was there a couple years, they asked me what career path I wanted to take—do you want to manage people, or do you want to manage projects. I said I would much rather manage a project. The Electronic Data Interchange department hand selected me to join their team in project management. My career took off after that. I had a wonderful career there, and I ended up working in corporate IT until I retired. Once I retired from Abbott, I became a consultant for four years at AbbVie, a pharmaceutical division of Abbott that became its own company.

The Power of Education

After I retired, I did some soul searching about what was important to me and how I want to leave a legacy. I discovered that what I truly believe in is education. I believe that it can change your life, and with that you can change the world, change yourself, and change the people around you. When that lightbulb went on for me, I thought, “That’s Parkside!”

I believe in education. My grandpa came here from Italy with no money. He sent three girls to UW-Madison in the 1940s and 50s when most average people didn’t go to college. He said people can take a lot of things away from you, but they cannot take away your education. That has really stuck with me, and I really believe it. Education will change the path of your life. After all that soul searching, I decided to put the university in my trust to leave scholarships for students.

If you’ve been blessed in your life with a successful career, health for yourself and your family, why wouldn’t you want to pave the way and help somebody else who has the passion to go to college but doesn’t have the means or the opportunity to do so? I am thrilled to know that what I’m giving is going to help students. Life is about living, but it’s also about giving. I can’t think of a better way to give back.