05/29/2026
Since graduating in 2000, alum Mark Proksch has had several interesting jobs, from an office handyman and substitute teacher, to portraying Nate Nickerson, a part of Dunder Mifflin’s warehouse team, on the NBC hit series "The Office".
It turns out all those jobs were part of the same career path for Proksch — his successful acting career. Proksch graduated with a degree in communication, with an emphasis in electronic media. Although, after graduating from high school, he says he really didn’t have a major in mind when he started looking at colleges.
“I kind of just followed some friends who were like-minded when it came to music and comedy, and followed them to Eau Claire,” Proksch remembers. “And it was honestly the best decision I ever made.”
“I think if I had gone to NYU or USC or even Madison, I think it would have been a little more overwhelming,” Proksch says. “Whereas in Eau Claire you find the right five or six people and the world’s your oyster. We were certainly encouraged to pursue what we wanted to do, whether it was comedy or music, and there were always enough outlets provided by the university or the city to move forward with those ambitions.”
Read more: https://www.uwec.edu/stories/true-blu-proksch-takes-his-energy-hollywood-office-and-beyond
