Clear blue skies, brilliant sunshine and endless pride provided a picture perfect backdrop for the rise of 1,331 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix students on Saturday, May 16 as the University held its Spring 2026 Commencement ceremonies at the Kress Events Center.
Graduates receiving associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees included 218 Rising Phoenix graduates, high school students from across Wisconsin who earned an associate degree before graduating high school.
Student and invited speakers provided both inspiration and thoughtful reflection on their shared experiences in college and life-at-large.
Morning student speaker Grace Holschuh shared with hundreds that the uncertainty she found during her college journey was the best thing that could have happened to her while Reyna Barske reminded afternoon ceremony attendees that the resilience they sharpened during college would serve them well in the future.
Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry CEO Sachin Shivaram put forth a powerful invitation to all attendees to do what AI cannot: Understand someone else’s life to find the most meaning in your employment and your purpose; while Green Bay West High School graduate, UW‑Green Bay alumnus and former CEO of TaylorMade Golf and Taco Bell, Mark King, challenged graduates to thoughtfully resist what is safe. Instead, find what lives at the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs and what you can make a living at.
Built to rise, these graduates are prepared to transform their communities—and the future of Northeast Wisconsin.