MATC to Graduate More Than 1,000 Students at 2024 Winter Commencement

MILWAUKEE (December 11, 2024) – At 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 14, Milwaukee Area Technical College will host its 2024 Winter Commencement at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

More than 1,000 students are eligible to receive their associate degrees, technical diplomas, apprenticeship diplomas and adult high school diplomas. In addition, 15 candidates for graduation who have served in the U.S. military will receive red, white and blue cords from the college.

This commencement ceremony will be the first for MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz, who began his tenure as Milwaukee Area Technical College’s 11th president in July 2024.

“This is a huge step for these graduates as they transition to what comes next,” said Dr. Cruz. “I am confident they are ready for that next chapter, whether that’s a new career, a four-year university or both. The history of our graduates has taught us that greatness is within reach because of the knowledge and skills MATC provides, and because of their commitment to achieving their dreams.”

Carina Gray will receive the Outstanding Graduate Technical Diploma Award. After several life experiences, Gray returned to school to earn her High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED). She enrolled in the HSED program offered through MATC at Literacy Services of Wisconsin and earned her HSED. In fall 2023, she started the Business Management technical diploma program at MATC. She made the President’s List for the Spring 2024 semester. She earned a Foundations of Leadership Certificate from the National Society of Leadership and Success, the nation’s largest leadership honor society, in April. And she will cross the stage to receive her technical diploma.

The President’s Award winner, Shauna Morris-Patterson, will earn an associate degree from the Human Service Associate program. The President’s Award recognizes student academic achievement and contributions to the college and the community.

Morris-Patterson truly believes “there are more genuinely good, well-intentioned and decent human beings on this earth than there are people who aren’t. If we can find a way to come together, we can overpower a lot of the negative that is in our world,” she said.

Morris-Patterson made the President’s List and earned the Foundations of Leadership Certification from the National Society of Leadership and Success, the nation’s largest leadership honor society.

The Outstanding Graduate Associate Degree and student speaker is Ankur Kaushal. Kaushal arrived in the United States in 2023 and immediately began taking classes at MATC. He was born and raised in Khanna, a city of 130,000 that is known for being Asia’s largest grain market. Upon arriving he has been helping classmates and volunteering in the community, traits he learned from his paternal grandparents.

Kaushal will receive his Associate of Science degree. He compiled a 4.0 GPA, made the President’s List in the Spring 2024 and Fall 2023 semesters, and has been inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Keynote Speaker

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley will deliver the keynote address. First sworn into office in May of 2020, Crowley became the youngest county executive in the history of Milwaukee County and the first Black leader elected to serve in the role. On April 2, 2024, Crowley was reelected to a second term with 85% of the vote.

Crowley can appreciate MATC’s graduates’ profile as he grew up in a working-class family in Milwaukee’s 53206 neighborhood. He attended Bay View High School and lives in Milwaukee. In addition, Crowley will receive his bachelor’s degree in community engagement and education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Education the day after MATC’s commencement.

Crowley previously stated and will reinforce to graduates that education really matters. As a non-traditional student, he had to balance his family’s needs and faithfully serve the people of Milwaukee County.

COMMENCEMENT DETAILS

WHAT:           MATC Winter Commencement

WHEN:          11 a.m., Saturday, December 14, 2024

WHERE:       Fiserv Forum, 1111 North Vel R. Phillips Avenue, Milwaukee

WHO:            Keynote – Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley

Student Speakers:

• President’s Award Winner, Shauna Morris-Patterson, Human Service Associate program
• Student Speaker and Outstanding Graduate Associate Degree, Ankur Kaushal, Associate of Science program
• Outstanding Graduate Technical Diploma, Carina Gray, Business Management program

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.