Madison Resident to be Honored at UW Oshkosh Alumni Awards Celebration
Oscar Mireles
Oscar Mireles, of Madison, will be among the 10 talented and successful University of Wisconsin Oshkosh graduates to earn honors from their alma mater during Homecoming 2022. He will receive a Distinguished Alumni Award for his professional accomplishments.
First enrolled at UW Oshkosh in fall 1973, Mireles earned the majority of his college credits in the mid-1970s. But it wasn’t until 1996—after more than two decades of work encouraging others to finish what they’d begun—that he returned to complete his sociology degree.
While in Oshkosh, Mireles was president of the student organization Chicano Unidos. That experience began a lifetime of social justice advocacy. His journey later included involvement in many community organizations in Milwaukee and Madison.
His time in Milwaukee included about a decade with Centro de la Comunidad Unida/United Community Center (UCC), where he became associate executive director. While at UCC he helped open a community-based restaurant and catering service, an arts program with a theater and gallery space and a community school serving more than 300 kindergarten-through-eighth-grade students.
He now is the executive director of Madison’s Omega School, an alternative education center helping young adults pursue their high school equivalency diploma or general education development.
Beginning in 1989, he published three anthologies about Latinos in Wisconsin, titled I Didn’t Know There Were Latinos In Wisconsin. He’s also published a children’s book and a poetry chapbook. In 2016, Mireles was named as the sixth poet laureate of the city of Madison. He served two terms, emphasizing widespread accessibility to poetry.
He’s received numerous awards and recognition for his service to his communities over the years. Among them are the Dane County Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award in 2009 and the Friend of Education Award from the Wisconsin State Superintendent.
Roberto Rivera, a friend and colleague of more than 40 years, calls him “a renaissance man.”
“What all these accolades do not show is Oscar’s human touch,” Rivera said. “I often meet people who say that they did not know if they had what it took to succeed. When I asked how they found out, many answered ‘Oscar.’ Oscar was the one who patiently listened to their concerns and provided them with wise counsel. He made, in their words, all the difference.”
Mireles has long credited the sociology department at UWO for giving him many opportunities to find success. What started as a one-credit internship the summer before his freshman year—an experience he said made him realize he was a part of something much larger than himself—has blossomed into a long career that’s impacted thousands of lives.
“My time at UW Oshkosh provided fertile ground for learning, the opportunity to develop lasting relationships and provided me with a vision and framework to have success in my career,” Mireles said. “I have been blessed ever since.”
The 2022 Alumni Awards Celebration will be held Oct. 21 at the Culver Family Welcome Center, with a reception at 5 p.m. followed by the dinner and program beginning at 6 p.m. The cost of the event is $40 per person. For more information, contact UWO’s Alumni Relations Office at (920) 424-3449 or alumni@uwosh.edu.
UW Oshkosh is home to 9,703 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students on three campuses. With more than 250 majors, minors and certificate programs, UW Oshkosh offers one of the largest program arrays in Wisconsin. Student success is at the heart of UW Oshkosh. Students benefit from personalized support with small class sizes, a wealth of academic and personal support services, and personalized career and academic advising. Oshkosh is ranked as the No. 1 best college town and the No. 4 most livable small city in the United States, and students benefit from entertainment, employment and recreation of a thriving community. With a strong research focus and national ranking in sustainability, Titans demonstrate on a daily basis what students can do to change the world. Learn more at uwosh.edu.
