The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater held its 2025 winter commencement ceremony Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Williams Center on the Whitewater campus.
On a bitter cold day in Whitewater, families and friends gathered to celebrate 888 undergraduate and graduate students who earned degrees. Graduates represented the College of Arts and Communication, the College of Business and Economics, the College of Education and Professional Studies, the College of Integrated Studies, the College of Letters and Sciences, and the School of Graduate Studies.
Chancellor Corey A. King presided over the two-hour event.
“We’re grateful you chose to be Warhawks,” King said. “We see you. We share in your emotions today.”
After a recognition of university administrators, faculty, and staff, student speaker Samuel Bardales addressed his fellow graduates and attendees. Bardales earned a BSE in mathematics education with a minor in business law, and served as a leader in residence life, Whitewater Student Government, Lambda Chi Alpha, and more organizations on campus.
“Whitewater has been more than a place to learn,” Bardales said. “It’s been a place to grow, to belong, and to become who we are today.”
Bardales shared some of his favorite memories and traditions on campus and acknowledged the role that challenges in his life played in making him ready for the real world.
“Failures — and bumps in the road — will come, but now we have experience, resilience, and each other,” he said.
Bardales, a native of Gurnee, Illinois, lauded those who took winding roads and faced the same challenges on the way to graduation.
“You should be so proud of yourself, because even when it felt impossible, you still kept fighting, and now look at where you are,” Bardales said.”
Commencement speaker Mark Perry addressed the audience next, focusing on the story of his father, Harold Perry, who graduated in 1933, and the role UW-Whitewater played in his life.
Perry and his family remain highly engaged with the university. UW-Whitewater recently announced the Harold M. Perry ’33 and Margaret A. Perry Endowed Faculty Chair, a $2 million gift that will support a select UW-Whitewater faculty member or members to tackle complex issues, develop long-term solutions, and positively affect Wisconsin’s economy and student success.
The Endowed Faculty Chair started as a $10,000 retirement gift from Harold’s employer in 1974. Harold asked that it be donated to UW-Whitewater to establish a scholarship for students like him.
On Saturday, Perry stood in the same spot as his father did 67 years ago — Harold gave the commencement address in 1958.
“(My dad) often spoke about how influential his time here was, how his Whitewater education gave him opportunity, purpose, and community,” Perry said. “I was privileged to visit campus this summer, and I immediately understood why he loved it. This is a special place, rich with history, tradition, and people who sincerely care about students and their future.”
Perry, who is retired after a career working in accounting and finance in Silicon Valley, remains active through governance of various community service ventures. He offered graduates the lessons he’s learned in mentoring young people for his 55 years of professional experience.
“By far, the most important of the four lessons is to figure out what you are good at and then work hard to master it,” Perry said.
Perry noted that his father — a first-generation college student — stood in the same place as Saturday’s graduates nearly a century ago.
“Be guided by your Whitewater education, your core values, and hard work,” he said.
After crossing the stage, graduates marched out to “The Warhawk Strut” as the ceremony concluded.
