Inspiring Graduate: Ethan Myers, B.S. Packaging

Inspiring Graduate: Ethan Myers (’24)

• Hometown: Pleasant Prairie
• Degree: B.S. Packaging

Ethan Myers was drawn to UW-Stout for two reasons: Packaging and Polytechnic. 

“Not many schools have packaging, so when looking for a program, I found only one that looked engaging. Stout offers applied learning, real world experience and hands-on labs,” he said.

“Stout has the unique aspect of being Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University. This was something I had not seen before, but it made a ton of sense to me. I struggle to stay engaged in traditional classrooms, so having the opportunity to do actual work right from day one was not only fun but beneficial to my learning. This experience is practical and useful, and I really enjoy doing it.”

Myers earned his bachelor's in packaging and crossed the commencement stage on Dec. 14, along with 510 UW-Stout graduates. He served as the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Management student commencement speaker, encouraging his peers to embrace their stories with no regrets.

He was hired before graduation with H.B. Fuller, a leading global adhesives provider in Minneapolis, where he completed an internship in global strategic sourcing this summer

How well has UW-Stout prepared you to work in your field?

Stout has prepared me so well, that I not only accepted a full-time job months before graduating, but I have no concerns about starting this position. I feel comfortable and confident.

My internship with H.B. Fuller and a co-op experience with Schreiber Foods gave me a lot of experience in packaging and also how to be a professional. 

At UW-Stout’s 2023 annual Leadership Awards, I received the Outstanding Cooperative Education and Internship Program Student of the Year Award for my internship with Schreiber Foods.

The past four years have defined me as a person. I am still the same Ethan who came to Stout, but I have improved and become a better person in every way.

What stands out about your UW-Stout experience?

Hands-on, applied learning is the best thing about Stout.

When I was a freshman at Stout, I had already touched every piece of equipment in our packaging lab. I have friends who go to other schools who are seniors in engineering programs and have only ever touched a pencil. 

I am STOUTPROUD because Stout has set me up for success and made me proud of where I am. When comparing my experience, my knowledge and my readiness to go out into the real world with friends at other universities, I feel miles ahead.

I also love the sense of community here. The campus is big enough to feel like there are always new people and new opportunities, but small enough where I see people I want to see every day.

How did your involvement on and off campus impact your experience?

I am the president of the Stout Packaging Association, and it is amazing. I met my first friend at Stout in this club, and I continue to hang out with him every day. As president, I have been able to do some amazing things, like Pack Jam, an annual student-led international three-day conference, and bring 36 students to Chicago for PackExpo. All of this gave me some amazing management and planning experience. 

I have also served as a teacher’s assistant, a week-one orientation leader for incoming first-year students and a campus tour guide with the Admissions Office. For my campus involvement, I was awarded the Samuel E. Wood Medallion at UW-Stout’s 2024 annual Leadership Awards.

For industry awards, I have won 11 packaging awards in my time at Stout, some national, some international. I worked with my friend Lukas David. Our professors allowed us to be independent and gave us the support we needed.

In February 2024, I worked on a team with Lukas and video production student Zach Hoffmire in a competition sponsored by Kellanova, a division of Kellogg’s, to improve the Pringles potato crisps consumer experience. Our innovative tube design won first place in an invitation-only field of eight other university teams from the U.S., Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.

In 2023, Lukas, Zach and I created sustainable paperboard packaging for lip balm, for which we won the Paperboard Packaging Alliance student competition. We also won the Institute of Packaging Professionals’ 48HR REPACK student design competition, an Institute of Packaging Professionals challenge, with our Modular E-commerce Box.

And at the 2022 Flexible Packaging Association Student Design Challenge, I was on teams that won second place for our Microwavable Ramen Pouch and honorable mention for our “Vetchables” Flexible Veggie Tray.

What are you most proud of as you finish your degree?

I am proud of my degree because I did it myself. My parents have been incredibly supportive, but they are both theater majors. There isn’t much engineering knowledge there for them to assist me through everything.