Congratulations, UWM Class of 2020!
You did it, UWM Class of 2020! Graduating in the most unparalleled of times is quite an accomplishment. We couldn’t be more proud of all you have overcome and achieved.
While our celebration looks a little different, there are so many people wishing you congratulations and success in your future endeavors. Take a look at these well-wishes from schools and college across UWM.
Lubar School of Business
School of Education
College of Engineering & Applied Science
School of Freshwater Sciences
College of General Studies
School of Information Studies
College of Letters & Science
College of Nursing
Helen Bader School of Social Welfare
Graduate School
Lubar School of Business
“Hi December 2020 graduates. 2020 has shown you have the fortitude and ability to adapt to any situation and make the best of it. All of those skills will be useful for your future endeavors. We’re so proud of you and wish you the best. Congratulations, Panthers!”
– Andrea Wrench, assistant dean, Lubar School of Business
School of Education
“Congratulations on completing your degrees! What a wonderful accomplishment under unprecedented conditions. We are thrilled to count you as the School of Education’s newest alumni. In a long history of educators who make a difference every day in the state, region and country, you and your future matter to us. We hope that you will stay in touch with faculty and staff, that you will become part of the UWM Alumni Association, and that you will come back when you are ready again to build your professional knowledge.”
– Hope Longwell-Grice, associate dean, School of Education
College of Engineering & Applied Science
“2020 has been a challenging year. You are going to embark on a new journey. While the journey will fill with joys and celebrations, it will also fill with difficulties, hardships and heartaches. Please remember they are not a detour but part of the path. After many years, when looking back, you can be proudly telling your kids and grandkids that you have made it, just like you have made it today in the year 2020! Congratulations!”
– Deyang Qu, professor and chair, Department of Mechanical Engineering
“Congratulations, UWM graduates! From high school stage to bachelor’s degree is a long journey, rich in challenges and late-night study sessions. Here’s to the recognition of all your efforts, and the challenges you will undertake going forward. To the engineers and computer scientists, in particular, many of today’s greatest challenges have essential technical aspects. From global warming to renewed infrastructure, from data privacy to security of the food supply, you will be at the forefront of figuring out the nuts and bolts of sustaining and broadening prosperity while at the same time reducing and eliminating unsustainable impacts. Lots of things we do today use up something that has finite supply. You’ll be busy. Congratulations, 2020 graduates! Go Panthers!”
– Brian Armstrong, professor and chair, Department of Electrical Engineering
“Congratulations, Class of 2020! We are proud of your accomplishments and we are grateful that you chose UWM. Our goal as instructors was to enable you toward the professions of your choice. We wish you the best. Strive for lifelong learning. Search for more information to equip you for excellence in your careers. You are young, so take some measured risks in your decisions to explore the depths and breadth of your potential. Engage with your community because therein lies your most impact. Congratulations once more. Go Panthers!”
– Wilkistar Otieno, associate professor and chair, Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
“Dear 2020 computer science graduates: Congratulations on all that you have achieved. To reach this point, you have worked long and hard. However, your journey is far from over. The degree that you have earned from UWM will allow you to do things that will benefit yourself and society. Take care with this new power. Your skills will allow you to create new algorithms using large datasets — there is a risk of perpetuating inequities that existed when the data was created or collected. You should be vigilant about the risks and insist that your work is used in a way that is consistent with your values. You can help elevate the good voices that are not as strong as yours. We sincerely hope we have given you the tools you need to accomplish your goals.”
– Susan McRoy, professor and chair, Department of Computer Science
“To materials engineering graduates: You have learned how working metals makes them stronger and how ceramic defects make semiconductors and heart pacemakers. Embrace all the abnormalities you endured in your journey that will make you and your career unique and special. Congratulations!”
– Nidal Abu-Zahra, associate professor and chair, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
“Dear 2020 graduates, congratulations! You are a unique batch of students who have proven their mettle by displaying tremendous determination and resilience in the face of unexpected change. Best wishes for a bright future.”
– Priya Premnath, assistant professor, Biomedical Engineering
“December 2020 graduates, congratulations on your success in completing your degrees! You have shown us all that you can overcome adversity and surpass expectations under the most challenging of conditions. I hope you continue to strive for greatness and wish you all the best in whatever comes next!”
– Jacob R. Rammer, assistant professor, Biomedical Engineering
“December 2020 graduates, congratulations! As the Milwaukee engineers of the future we are confident you will use what you learned at UWM to find new solutions to build the cities of the future, to transform our infrastructure and transportation systems or to make our air and water cleaner. Wherever your ambitions may lead you, we trust that you will bring the UWM scrappy problem solving approach to find solutions. Looking forward to hearing about your contributions and accomplishments!”
– Rani Elhajjar, associate professor and chair, Civil & Environmental Engineering
School of Freshwater Sciences
“I just listened to a Sam and Dave song of my youth and thought of the SFS class of 2020. We face a legion of water problems, climate change, freshwater scarcity — all embedded in a global pandemic. Wow, if there was ever a time to be discouraged, demoralized, even fearful for the future — now would be it. But, hold on … you are coming! If that isn’t a cause for celebration, nothing is. You have a great challenge before you — meet it. And we’ll hold on, because the class of 2020 is coming.”
– Val Klump, professor and dean, School of Freshwater Sciences
College of General Studies
“Senator Corey Booker, a few years back, told a graduating class at Yale that ‘real courage is holding on to a still voice in your head that says, I must keep going … I will not quit.’ Congratulations to all of you courageous people who listened to your inner voices and kept on going despite some of the most difficult circumstances students have ever had to face. You were persevering; you kept your eyes on the prize, and now, the future is yours to create. The College of General Studies is proud of your accomplishments, large and small, and encourages you to ‘keep going.’ We know you will.”
– Ellyn Lem, English professor, Honors Program director, College of General Studies
“We wish all 2020 UWM graduates our heartiest congratulations! You have shown how adversity can be overcome with tenacity and resilience of the body, mind and spirit. We are proud of your accomplishments, and we wish you a very successful and happy life. Your journey is just beginning.”
– Shubhangi Stalder, mathematics professor, College of General Studies
School of Information Studies
“Congratulations to the December 2020 UWM graduating class! The past year has represented a time of unparalleled challenges for higher education and society. The persistence you have shown this year and your ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment will serve you well in the future.”
– Dietmar Wolfram, professor and senior associate dean, School of Information Studies
“Congratulations Class of Fall 2020! You’ve reached a major milestone in your education in unprecedented times. With all of the changes and challenges in your college experience, you have overcome every obstacle to achieve your goals! We salute you and your accomplishments. You have proven that nothing can hold you back!”
– the #PantherProud faculty and staff of the School of Information Studies
College of Letters & Science
“The Class of 2020 is NIMBLE. Their capacity to adjust but still thrive will guarantee their future success. Congratulations to all of you! Go make the world a better place.”
– Sara C. Benesh, associate professor and chair, Department of Political Science
“I am often asked the question, ‘Are there opportunities for university graduates to find work in their field after they graduate?’ For the field of conservation and environmental science, my response is yes. Federal and state government agencies, universities, nonprofit groups and consulting firms have or will have a lot of openings in the next few years. This year, Congress passed the Land and Water Conservation Fund with $9.5 billion in funding over the next five years, which will create a lot of new jobs. Also, at many federal and state agencies, there are numerous people nearing retirement age that will be leaving in the next few years, creating opportunities for new graduates. In today’s world, you must have more than just a degree to find a job; you need to demonstrate to employers you have the skills they need. The key to standing out from the crowd is for graduates to build their resume through internships and volunteer opportunities, and reveal they have the skills and work ethic needed. Graduates also need to network through professional organizations to meet people that are doing the hiring. Most job openings are never published, and many employers hire from pools of people they know or are recommended to them by people they trust. If we look past the dark clouds of the current pandemic, there are bright skies and opportunities on the horizon for those who show the initiative to take advantage of them. Congratulations on graduation. Let the next phase of the journey begin.”
– Neal O’Reilly, director, Conservation and Environmental Sciences program
“We wish all of our UWM graduates prosperity, happiness and wisdom — from the Chinese Program. 熱烈祝賀同學們畢業！祝同學們生活幸福，前程似錦 !”
– Jue Chen 陳珏, assistant professor, Chinese
“We wish all of our UWM graduates prosperity, happiness, and wisdom — the Italian faculty. La Facoltà d’Italiano augura prosperità, felicità e saggezza a tutti i laureati di UWM.”
– Simonetta Milli Konewko, associate professor, Italian
“What I admire most about the class of 2020 is their resiliency and ability to adapt to an exceptionally challenging time.”
– Andy Cuneo, senior advisor, College of Letters & Science
“I am simply astounded by the resilience, good humor and discipline shown by the students graduating this year. The challenges of this year, both personal and academic, have often seemed overwhelming, but it gives me a lot of hope and joy to see all of these smart, dedicated students reap the benefits of their hard work. To all of the graduating students, I simply want to say: Be proud of everything you have accomplished here, and please know that you are an inspiration for all of us. Have an awesome life and remember to keep searching and learning.”
– Agust Magnusson, lecturer and undergraduate advisor, Department of Philosophy
“LGBTQ+ Studies has witnessed our students facing staggering challenges in 2020 — and we have been in awe of your commitment to raising one another up and to deep learning despite it all. Heartfelt congratulations!”
– Cary Gabriel Costello, associate professor of sociology and director of LGBTQ+ Studies
“We wish all graduates success in your professions and happiness in your lives. Życzymy wszystkim absolwentom powodzenia w pracy zawodowej i szczęścia w życiu osobistym.”
– Michael J. Mikoś, professor, Polish, Profesorowie polonistyki
“You did it! We in the German Program congratulate you on your degree and wish you all the best for the future. Sie haben es geschafft! Wir vom German Program gratulieren Ihnen ganz herzlich zum erfolgreichen Abschluss Ihres Studiums und wünschen Ihnen nur das Beste für die Zukunft!”
– Jonathan Wipplinger, associate professor, German
“The Russian Program congratulates our graduates and wishes them all happiness, health and prosperity. Кафедра русского языка в UWM поздравляет выпускников и желает всем счастья, здоровья и благополучия!”
– Joe Peschio, associate profesor, Russian
“We wish all of our UWM graduates prosperity, happiness and wisdom from the Hebrew and Jewish Studies Program.
“.אנו מאחלים לכל בוגרי UWM שגשוג, אושר ותבונה — מהמחלקה לעברית
– Yael Ben-yitschak and Rachel Baum, senior lecturers, Hebrew and Jewish Studies Program
“We wish all of our UWM graduates prosperity, happiness, and wisdom from the Portuguese program. Desejamos a todos os estudantes graduados da UWM prosperidade, felicidade e sabedoria — Programa de Português.”
– Susana L. M. Antunes, assistant professor of Portuguese
College of Nursing
“To the new nursing graduates: I am so in awe of the resilience you have demonstrated throughout the past several months and the flexibility and kindness you have demonstrated to yourself, your peers and to me. I am so excited to see you at this point and now call you my colleague.
Know that you are smart, know that you are kind, know that you know a lot but have much more to learn. It is an interesting time right now in health care, but the waters will never be completely calm; that is nursing. It is OK to not know what tomorrow will bring, or even what the next five minutes will bring. Remember, getting a nursing degree is just the start. You will continue to learn and grow and develop as a nurse.
Stay grounded in why you became a nurse and what you want to do with your nursing knowledge. That is a power you have earned and should be used wisely. Understand that others depend on you, but you are also only human. It is OK to laugh, to cry, to yell (not to patients, significant others are great for this), and to just be.
Use your professional voice to advocate and educate for your patients and a better system. You have the tools, the skills and the knowledge to accomplish great things. You just have to believe!”
– Mandy Sheriff, clinical assistant professor and curriculum coordinator, College of Nursing
“Dear nursing graduates: Some parting advice as you make your way in the nursing world, from your former pathopharm professor, NCLEX fanatic and forever bedside nurse:
Ask questions — advice that applies to your whole career, but especially that first year as a new nurse. Nursing school has imparted to you the language of health care, but you will and SHOULD have many questions as you are delivering patient-centered care as an employee of a specific health care system/facility. The new nurse who scares me the most is the one who never asks me anything.
Be a Team Player — be that person who walks toward the alarming call light, not away (even if it is NOT your patient). Help out with the dirty work. If you are all caught up, ask everyone you see if they need assistance. Not only will you get brought into great learning opportunities, but you will earn the ‘team player’ reputation that can open many doors to you.
Be kind to your patients, even if they can’t be kind to you — hospitalization is frightening, stressful and makes people feel the most vulnerable they may ever feel in their lives. A patient being disrespectful or rude could easily be their terror manifesting — being disrespectful back only adds to their fear and makes patients feel unsafe. Your kindness can help reduce that out-of-control feeling they have.
Fixate on the clinical thinking, not the skills — probably one of the lines I say most frequently in the program is, ‘I can teach a llama to put in an IV, but I can’t teach them to think like a nurse.’ Nursing skills are fun. There’s oftentimes needles and a little blood loss, what’s not to love? You should want to do them and improve, but they don’t make the nurse. It’s how you collect and examine patient-specific information, develop hypotheses/suspicions of what is occurring, prioritize those hypotheses, make a plan to address, intervene and evaluate — and sometimes you have to go back and forth in this process. Llamas are terrible at this — it is advanced thinking that only health care professionals like you can do. So, please stop putting nasogastric tubes in your friends and family on the weekend. You will improve in these areas after being a nurse for the next 20–40 years, and your new employer knows you aren’t going to be the IV insertion pro on day 1.
Lastly, keep a sense of humor or some sort of worldview that helps you stay positive/find joy in this work. It’s ever-changing, no 12-hour shift is like the next, and COVID hasn’t changed that — it’s another variable in the many variables we have had to contend with as nurses. We’ve always been brave. Best of luck, keep working on VATI, next stop NCLEX.”
– Melissa Brown, clinical assistant professor and interim undergraduate program director
Helen Bader School of Social Welfare
“I would like to share with the graduates today a quote from one of my favorite scholars, W.E.B. DuBois. ‘The worker must work for the glory of his handiwork, not simply for pay; the thinker must think for truth, not for fame.’ A prominent mission of the Department of Social Work was social justice. I hope that you remember the ethics and values taught you and you deliver services on behalf of your clients for the greater good. Congratulations and best wishes in this new chapter of your life.”
– David J. Pate Jr., associate professor and chair, Department of Social Work
Graduate School
“It is my honor as dean of the Graduate School to congratulate all our scholars who have devoted years of intensive work to graduate study and research. Our master’s candidates are earning a second, third or terminal degree in their respective fields. Our doctoral students have defended dissertations and clinical projects making substantial contributions to knowledge in their respective fields. I am so proud of all our students for receiving the highest academic recognition within the university. Einstein said, ‘A ship is always safe at shore but that is not what it is built for.’ As you now set sail on your next voyage, may you ‘Sail away from safe harbor, catch the wind in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.’ (Mark Twain).”
– Marija Gajdardziska-Josifovska, professor and dean, Graduate School
These words of encouragement and praise are much earned, Panthers. We wish you nothing but success as you take what you have learned here at UWM and work towards your goals. Congratulations, Class of 2020!
