Campus Connection

UWL alumni carry on The Pearl’s 30-year legacy

With its homemade sweets and vintage charm, The Pearl Ice Cream Parlor has been a cornerstone of downtown La Crosse for more than 30 years. 

Now co-owners of The Pearl, sisters Dani Peterslie (’11) and Azia Thelemann (’16) spent their early years immersed in the family business, working alongside their parents and developing a love for entrepreneurship. 

As second-generation small-business leaders, the sisters credit their UW-La Crosse education with providing them not only the knowledge to run a business, but the perspective to nurture the community they love. 

“It really takes a perfect mix of a lot of important elements to create a beloved community spot,” Thelemann explains. “There is the history and nostalgia, but it also takes a quality product that people really love.” 

Though both sisters spent time outside the area after high school, their deep-rooted connection to La Crosse drew them back and led them to attend UWL. 

“I gained appreciation for the natural beauty and charm of our area,” Peterslie says. “We truly have a good community, good people and, as my dad would say, ‘a world-class river’ among the bluffs.”

Peterslie graduated with a major in communication studies and a minor in recreation management. She finds that her coursework is aligned closely with the responsibilities of running a business.  

“A lot of the classes with an emphasis on organizational communication really applied to operating a small business,” Peterslie says. Through studying customer-focused cultures with Professor Scott Dickmeyer, she learned the importance of strong internal communication. While courses in interpersonal communication and understanding human differences equipped her to build connections with customers. 

Thelemann, who graduated with a major in business management and minors in environmental science and sustainable business, finds her degree equally applicable.  

“I have been able to apply a lot of my undergraduate education toward running small businesses,” she says. “The sustainability and environmental aspects of my education are personally important to both my sister and me, and we make conscious efforts to apply it where we can.” 

Their UWL connection even found its way into The Pearl’s ice cream case.  

Last summer, when the UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation approached them about creating a special flavor for Moon Tunes, Thelemann immediately saw an opportunity. Drawing inspiration from school colors and classic college nostalgia, she developed what became “Screamin’ Eagles Peanut Butter & Jelly.” 

“Once I realized that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is as quintessential to college dorm foods as ramen noodles and easy mac, I knew it was the perfect fit,” Thelemann says. 

Like The Pearl itself, the flavor was an instant hit. 

“Our parents started The Pearl to be more than an ice cream shop — they built a place for connection, nostalgia and community,” Peterslie says. “Today, we carry that mission forward, watching new memories form every day. La Crosse is a gem, and we hope families continue to make memories here at The Pearl for years to come.”