Artful Magazine

Tackling brain drain
through the revitalization of
community, arts and culture
By Nicole Shields
Paige Weslaski goes for a three-mile run every
day during her lunch break at work, right
alongside the waves of Lake Michigan.
“I think it’s the most beautiful place in the whole
wide world when I'm running. I think it’s even
more beautiful than Malibu, really,” Weslaski says,
describing the lakefront in Racine. “And it’s like,
wow, no one’s here, no one’s utilizing this beauty.”
The 27-year-old Racine native, entrepreneur, published
author and 2015 Young Professional of the
Year in Racine has lived in New York, Guatemala
and on the coast of California in Malibu, and traveled
throughout Europe. Something, though, has
her hooked on Racine, Wisconsin, near her roots
— in fact, the city’s name comes from the French
translation of “root.”
After leaving Racine for five years to pursue her college
degree and travel and work abroad, Weslaski
turned down a full scholarship to earn her master’s
degree at her alma mater, Pepperdine University in
Malibu, California, to return to Racine.
“I knew in my heart of hearts, no, I’m going back to
Racine,” she says.
Weslaski isn’t alone in leaving for her education,
then returning to the Racine community. The median
age in Racine is about 34 years old, according
to the U.S. Census Bureau, and residents between
the ages of 20 to 34 outnumber those from ages
35 to 49. The population has grown, albeit slowly,
since 2010, yet Racine is a puzzle piece of a larger
movement at work in Wisconsin, where young professionals
tend to flock to larger cities in surrounding
states. As young professionals face the decision
of where to plant their roots after completing their
education, community members in mid-sized Wis-
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The Artful Ordinary