14-05-2025
UW-Green Bay marks historic milestone with spring commencement for over 1,000 graduates
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay will mark a major milestone this Saturday, May 17th, as it celebrates the largest graduating class in its history.
According to a press release from UW-Green Bay, total of 1,338 students are eligible to receive their degrees during two commencement ceremonies at the Kress Events Center on the Green Bay Campus.
Chancellor Michael Alexander emphasized the importance of the occasion, noting that more than 70% of UW-Green Bay graduates stay in the region after earning their degrees.
The 1,338 students who will earn their degree this weekend will impact the workforce in amazing ways, through tenacity, critical thinking and a strong desire to ensure the communities that they live and work within are thriving.
Chancellor Michael Alexander, UW-Green Bay Chancellor
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The release says ceremonies will begin at 9:30 a.m. with graduated from the College of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as students receiving associate degrees from all four UW-Green Bay Campuses, including those in the Rising Phoenix Program.
The afternoon ceremony is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and will honor graduated from the Austin E. Cofrin School of Business, the College of Health, Education and Social Welfare, and the College of Science, Engineering and Technology.
UW-Green Bay highlights that this year's graduating class represents a wide range of accomplishments. More than 150 high school students from across the state are completing associate degrees through the Rising Phoenix program become receiving their high school deplomas.
The release also emphasizes that nearly half of the graduating class are first-generation college students, including Tyler Dean, who is earning a degree in Electrical Engineering after serving in the Middle East and previously studying at Michigan Tech.
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The ceremonies will also mark several 'firsts' for the university. The press release says the master's program in Public Administration will celebrate its inaugural graduates which includes Gage Beck.
The new Biodiversity and Conservation Management program will also see its first graduates, such as Daxton Castellanos, who will step foot on the UW-Green Bay campus for the first time on graduation day, having completed the program remotely from California.
Adham Elkasses will become the first UW-Green Bay student to earn a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation before completing a bachelor's degree in Finance.
The release highlights that student voices will take center stage as well. Monica Garcia, a first-generation student from the Sheboygan campus, will speak at the morning ceremony. Graduating with a double major in Democracy and Justice Studies and Psychology, Garcia credits UW-Green Bay with helping her find her voice and passion for mentorship.
In the afternoon, Aashiv Pandev, will share her journey from moving across the globe to pursuing a future in medicine, underscoring the importance of adaptability, compassion, and perservance.
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Among the many inspiring graduates are Alex Freeman, who pursued a degree in Public Administration with an Emergency Management emphasis to support his role as Waukesha County's Emergency Management Coordinator, and Jessie Kreiling, whose lifelong love for water has led her to earn a degree in Water Science and work towards solutions for environmental challenges.
Graduates from all four UW-Green Bay campuses – Green Bay, Marinette, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan – will be recognized on Saturday, with degrees awarded in high-demand fields such as nursing, education, business and environmental studies.
As UW-Green Bay honors the Class of 2025, it also celebrates the passion, resilience, and ambition of students who are ready to rise and shape the future of Northeast Wisconsin.
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