Three School of Education students — Anna Bitonti, Molly Gerrish, and Heaven Williams — were recently recognized as spring 2026 “notable grads” by UW–Madison’s Office of Strategic Communication.

Following are their profiles, written by Gayle Worland:

An animated film on top of two majors

“My time at UW–Madison was defined by expanding my relationship to art,” says Anna Bitonti, who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in art and English with a focus on creative writing. “What made my experience here unique was the number of art forms I was able to move through: painting, creative writing, animation, and design, and how each one opened unexpected opportunities for me.” As a visual artist, Anna participated in many gallery shows on campus and worked with the Wisconsin Union, where she served as a marketing and graphic design intern and designed the visual identity for the Wisconsin Union Directorate’s 2025–26 season.

A large-scale public installation she created for WUD won an honorable mention from the Association of College Unions International’s “Steal This Idea” competition. Outside of classes, Anna served as lead animator for “Bittersweet,” an independent animated film created by a team of artists across the country and that premiered at the Madison Film Festival. The film went on to screen at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth and the L.A. Animated Film Festival, among others. Anna completed a semester-long creative writing thesis, developing a 150-page fiction manuscript that she plans to expand into a full-length novel. On campus, “I never felt confined to one medium or identity,” she says. “UW–Madison helped me build momentum by saying yes to opportunities that continue to push me into real-world creative environments.”