WHITEWATER — Students crossed the stage in two ceremonies to receive associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degrees at UW-Whitewater on Saturday, closing a chapter before they pursue the next endeavor in their lives.
In the afternoon ceremony, Chancellor Corey King said UW-Whitewater students, faculty and staff achieve excellence “where we adapt and persevere when we face the new challenges of life and we deeply care about one another.”
The student speaker in the afternoon was Watertown native Ty Jahnke, who received a bachelor’s degree in human performance at UW-Whitewater in 2023 and received his master’s in applied kinesiology on Saturday. He was the 15th person in his family to be a student at UW-Whitewater. When he was in first grade, his parents took him and his brother to a wheelchair basketball game at the university.
“I remember the speed and the intensity of our Warhawk athletes as they dominated their opponents as most of our teams do. I could feel the support, the passion and the love that the fans and the community shared for their team,” Jahnke said. “After I experienced this, I knew I wanted to be a part of it one day and be a Warhawk. But, I never imagined the opportunities that this university would provide me and the life it would prepare me for.”
Jahnke was the high jumper on the Warhawk track and field team. He also spent time as the team’s captain. From May 2023 to May of this year, he served as the director of operations and assistant coach for the track and field team. He has also been an assistant strength and conditioning coach in the university’s athletic department.
Jahnke emphasized a “constant pursuit of excellence” in his speech.
“We, now as Warhawk graduates, have already carried on this tradition by continuously pursuing excellence by completing our academic coursework culminating here today. The degrees we will receive signifies our dedication that we had to achieve this excellence. But, our work is not finished,” Jahnke said. “Now, as proud Warhawk alumni, we have the privilege and responsibility to carry on this tradition to constantly pursue excellence in whatever our next chapter is.”
The afternoon commencement speaker was Crystal McClain, who graduated with a bachelor’s in social work from UW-Whitewater in 2003. She is the owner and CEO of Revive Youth and Family Services.
“This moment will always remind me why it is important to dream big and dream hard, especially considering that I was a first-generation college student and now I am one of a few women of color chosen to give a commencement speech here at UW-Whitewater,” McClain said.
In her speech, McClain valued mentorship, and said she hoped to empower the graduates. She referred to mentorship as “the gift that keeps on giving,” and mentioned the African proverb “it takes a village to raise a child.”
“I was very fortunate in my time here to have a village that has followed and guided me to this day,” McClain said.
McClain added, “Who am I? I am a young girl from Milwaukee, who had hopes and dreams, a young girl from 53206 to be exact. A young girl who believed in her village so much so that I thought if only I could create a space where young people could experience a village that supported and poured into them like mine did. That’s right. I created it. I’m the CEO of Revive Youth and Family Services, a multi-million dollar social services agency for at-risk children in Milwaukee.”
McClain said as alumni they have a unique opportunity to serve as mentors to the next generation of leaders, innovators and change makers.
“I know what you’re thinking. ‘I’m still trying to figure myself out,’ and there’s nothing wrong with that,” McClain said, adding that “Some things will happen quickly and some things will take time, like assimilating into your new norms as you transition into your professions. During this transition, show yourself some grace. I promise you, all of us on this stage have gone through similar life cycles.”
Graduates
Ka’lea Calhoun, of Milwaukee, graduated with bachelor’s degrees in sociology and psychology.
“It’s such a big deal. It feels real good. I worked really hard for it. I’m glad I was able to do it. Sometimes you believe you can and I did. I’m really happy,” Calhoun said.
Kennedi Finley, who is from Racine, was also a freshman during the pandemic. It was also special for her,
“I don’t even know the words to describe it. ‘Ecstatic’ would be an understatement. It’s amazing to get to this point,” Finley said.
Finley added, “Getting that degree, it was real. To this moment, it didn’t feel real until I had that degree in my hands.”
Jevohn Sisny of Madison received his master’s degree in social work at the ceremony. “It’s a challenge. It’s really worth it and a lot of experiences,” Sisney said.
Sisny said those who would like to pursue a master’s shouldn’t be deterred.
“Stick it out. Everything has challenges, but those challenges build character and hindsight, when you complete the program those things that challenge you will laugh at with how far you’ve come,” Sisney said.
