Posted 11:17 a.m. Monday, Dec. 8, 2014
A total of 637 UW-L students are candidates for graduation during the 50th annual Winter Commencement.
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Graduating veteran Michael Bahr models a new stole for graduating veterans.[/caption]
A total of 637 UW-L students are candidates for graduation during the 50th annual Winter Commencement. The 541 undergraduate students and 96 graduate students will walk the stage at 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at the La Crosse Center, 300 Harborview Plaza, La Crosse. Find out more about commencement.
At this year’s ceremony, 17 veterans will walk the stage. They will all be wearing new stoles to honor them as graduating veterans. The stoles are deep blue with white stars that say, “Valor & Respect. United States Veteran.”
“I think it’s important to remember that transitioning from the military to higher education is pretty difficult,” says Nicole Jablonski, UW-L’s veteran education benefit coordinator. “This is a great way to recognize that accomplishment and their service.”
UW-L graduating veteran Michael Bahr says adapting to the less-structured environment of college after he came back from Iraq in January 2010 was a challenge. As part of the Veterans Services office on campus, Bahr has helped incoming veteran students make the transition. Bahr, a political science major, also conducted undergraduate research on “military friendly” schools in the UW System as he wanted to help veterans understand the label that many campuses tout.
The Winter Commencement student speaker will be UW-L graduating senior Yolona Ngandali, an archaeological studies major. While studying anthropology — the study of humans past and present — she’s learned lessons to apply to her future. She plans to share those with fellow graduates during her address. Learn more about her story.
Graduating veteran Michael Bahr models a new stole for graduating veterans.[/caption]
A total of 637 UW-L students are candidates for graduation during the 50th annual Winter Commencement. The 541 undergraduate students and 96 graduate students will walk the stage at 11 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at the La Crosse Center, 300 Harborview Plaza, La Crosse. Find out more about commencement.
At this year’s ceremony, 17 veterans will walk the stage. They will all be wearing new stoles to honor them as graduating veterans. The stoles are deep blue with white stars that say, “Valor & Respect. United States Veteran.”
“I think it’s important to remember that transitioning from the military to higher education is pretty difficult,” says Nicole Jablonski, UW-L’s veteran education benefit coordinator. “This is a great way to recognize that accomplishment and their service.”
UW-L graduating veteran Michael Bahr says adapting to the less-structured environment of college after he came back from Iraq in January 2010 was a challenge. As part of the Veterans Services office on campus, Bahr has helped incoming veteran students make the transition. Bahr, a political science major, also conducted undergraduate research on “military friendly” schools in the UW System as he wanted to help veterans understand the label that many campuses tout.
The Winter Commencement student speaker will be UW-L graduating senior Yolona Ngandali, an archaeological studies major. While studying anthropology — the study of humans past and present — she’s learned lessons to apply to her future. She plans to share those with fellow graduates during her address. Learn more about her story.