Student speaker Cade Stowe shares how UW-Whitewater helped him see a disability as a superpower

Student speaker Cade Stowe shares how UW-Whitewater helped him see a disability as a superpower

April 24, 2026

As a student at Milton High School, Cade Stowe faced an uncertain future. Struggling with his mental health, he was not sure if he would graduate.

He ultimately did graduate and came to understand that he had a neurodivergent condition. As he was learning more about himself and his capabilities as a young adult, Stowe enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County immediately after graduating high school in 2018.

"I wouldn't be the man I am today without this place," said Stowe, who is earning his B.A. in psychology with a minor in sociology from UW-Whitewater in May. "All of my professors, my advisors and my co-workers are now my friends. Going here really was the very best thing that ever could have happened to me."

Stowe will share his inspiring story as a student speaker for UW-Whitewater's 2026 commencement ceremony at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 16.

Stowe ultimately received a diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum disorder and was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder in 2020. As he continued his journey into adulthood, the environment on campus helped him gain a deeper belief in himself, set goals and strive toward academic growth.

"I was really just trying to find my way," Stowe said. "When I came to the campus, I instantly saw the love. People were kind, and I was able to get connected to the Center for Students with Disabilities."

Stowe explored several academic areas, including theater and music, before taking a respite from his studies at the height of the pandemic. When he returned to campus he decided to focus on psychology.

Cade Stowe, a psychology student from Milton, rides the mechanical bull on the lawn of the Rock County campus during Spring Fling on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

As he reflects on his time as an undergraduate student, Stowe said UW-Whitewater's faculty had a profound impact on helping him understand what he can achieve through the power of perseverance.

Tracy Walters, a former UW-Whitewater professor who is now a faculty member at Marquette University, influenced Stowe when he was on the Rock County campus.

"The fact that I did research, analysis and wrote up a discussion paper was a way of showing me that I really can do this," Stowe said of the work in Walters' class. "It was a complete 180 for me and was a big milestone for me, personally."

Stowe points to a number of other faculty members who had a positive impact on his life, including Richard Hanson, on the Rock County campus, Dale Splinter, in the Department of Geography, Geology and Environmental Science, Brandon Thomas, in the Department of Psychology, and Loren Wilbers, in the Department of Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology.

"They all have taught me so many valuable life lessons that will stay with me," Stowe said. "I am very thankful I was in all of their classes."

Stowe said one of the drivers behind his enrollment at UW-Whitewater was the proximity to home. Looking back, however, he said he sees more clearly how the close-knit, personal nature of the campus community provided the perfect platform for him to understand his true potential.

As he delved deeper into his coursework, Stowe said he learned to meet with his professors and instructors and ask for additional help when he needed it.

"They never gave up on me," he said. "They would sit down with me, no matter how long it took, no matter how many emails I would send, and they would take many, many minutes of their day and go through a problem or theory. They always lifted me up, and helped me believe that I could do anything."

Stowe also forged deeper bonds within the campus community by working at, and getting involved in, a number of campus offices and organizations. He has worked as a peer tutor and mentor at the Warhawk Solution Center and has met with incoming first-year students through the university's student orientation and registration, or SOAR, program. He also took part in intramural sports.

Additionally, Stowe has worked as an assistant at the Lenox Library on the Rock County campus and recently learned of his impact within the facility through his mission of fostering a sense of connectedness and community.

Cade Stowe, a psychology student from Milton, at the Gary J. Lenox Library, where he works, on the UW-Whitewater at Rock County campus on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)

"A group of students came up to me, and they said, 'Hey, for this assignment for class, we're supposed to take a picture for someone who has changed our lives for the better, and we're wondering if we could take a picture with you,'" Stowe said. "I didn't even realize I had made that impact on them."

With a deeper understanding of his diagnosis and his true capabilities, Stowe said his goal is to give back and lend a helping hand whenever possible.

"I definitely try," he said. "Everyone was absolutely welcoming to me when I first came here, and when I saw that and experienced it, I thought, 'I want to do that, in return.'"

This fall, Stowe is continuing his studies. He has been admitted into the graduate program in counselor education at UW-Whitewater with an emphasis in clinical and mental health.

"This has been a riveting journey for me," Stowe said. "UW-Whitewater helped me understand my disability isn't a problem - it's a gift and a superpower."