Internet-famous for Irish dancing, Mary Papageorge is about to grab a new title: UW-Madison alum
KIMBERLY WETHAL
Updated
Mary Papageorge combined Irish dancing footwork with pop songs and caught the attention of celebrities, dance icons and eventually her current employer, Under Armour, who hired her as a consumer intelligence specialist before she graduates from UW-Madison on Saturday.
A UW-Madison student who managed to get an impressive slate of celebrities off their feet — albeit to pretend they had her fancy footwork on TikTok — during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic is among thousands graduating from the university this weekend.
Mary Papageorge -- in her Irish dance shoes on the steps of the state Capitol -- cannot dance as often as she used to, as years of Irish dancing have taken a physical toll.
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In the weeks before I joined the Wisconsin State Journal in September, I was told this: Remember that a higher education institution is like their own city. It has its own character and struggles, defined by the students who learn there and the faculty who teach them.
I have seen this over and over again, and it was particularly clear when I visited UW-Platteville at Richland a week after the University of Wisconsin System ordered degree-fulfilling classes to cease because of low enrollment. During my visit, I found many of the devastated students to be emotionally invested in their campus community — and committed to saving it.
Mary Papageorge combined Irish dancing footwork with pop songs and caught the attention of celebrities, dance icons and eventually her current employer, Under Armour, who hired her as a consumer intelligence specialist before she graduates from UW-Madison on Saturday.
Mary Papageorge -- in her Irish dance shoes on the steps of the state Capitol -- cannot dance as often as she used to, as years of Irish dancing have taken a physical toll.
