Written by Kristine Zaballos
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will celebrate the achievements of its graduates on Saturday, May 17, and Tuesday, May 20, as proud families and friends gather for the 2025 spring commencement ceremonies on the Whitewater and Rock County campuses.
Commencement on the Whitewater campus
On the university’s Whitewater campus, a total of 1,470 May and August graduates will cross the stage on May 17 to receive their degrees. The morning ceremony, which begins at 10 a.m., recognizes 667 undergraduate and 128 graduate students from the College of Arts and Communication, the College of Business and Economics and the School of Graduate Studies.
The afternoon ceremony begins at 3 p.m. and recognizes 526 undergraduate students and 146 graduate students from the College of Education and Professional Studies, the College of Integrated Studies, the College of Letters and Sciences, and the School of Graduate Studies. An additional four degrees are not specific to any college.
The ceremonies, which last approximately two hours each, will be held in the Kachel Fieldhouse at the Williams Center.
Included in the graduates crossing the stage on May 17 will be 111 students who are veterans, 7 international students and 204 nontraditional undergraduate students, defined as undergraduate students who are 25 years of age or older. In addition, 171 self-identified students with disabilities will receive degrees.
Seven graduates of the university’s LIFE Program, which provides a complete college experience for young adults between the ages of 18-25 who have an intellectual disability, will cross the stage during the afternoon program — including two who are earning an advanced certificate.
The commencement speaker for the morning ceremony on the Whitewater campus is Lynn Gardinier, a 1990 graduate who earned a BBA in accounting. On campus, she realized accounting allowed her to combine her interest in numbers with her love of working with people, a calling that resulted in a decades-long career with Baker Tilly, a coast-to-coast advisory, tax and assurance firm. She said the firm leads with its core values of integrity, passion, stewardship and belonging — values she experienced through her education at UW-Whitewater.
The commencement speaker for the afternoon ceremony on the Whitewater campus is Julie Anding, who earned a B.S. in psychology in 1990 and an M.S. in guidance and counseling in 1992. On campus, the first-generation college graduate found a nurturing environment that propelled a love of learning and serving others that she ultimately carried to a 26-year career with Harley Davidson. She has served on the board of both the Harley-Davidson Foundation and the UW-Whitewater Foundation, as well as the Dean’s Advisory Board of the College of Letters and Sciences.
The student speaker for the morning ceremony is Kylie Bilello, a Menomonee Falls High School graduate who is earning her BBA in management with an emphasis in nonprofit. On campus, she has been involved in the American Marketing Association’s UW-Whitewater chapter, where she has served as the social impact division president. In 2024, she was among a group who traveled to Guatemala to volunteer to create a website and social media outreach for a group of single mothers starting their own businesses.
The student speaker for the afternoon ceremony is Megan Hayes, a graduate of Northland Pines High School in Eagle River who will earn a B.A. in English with a minor in theatre. On campus she participated in the productions “Much Ado About Nothing” and “A Place with the Pigs” as well as “Outrunnable,” a four-part miniseries that touches on the difficulties of grief and addiction. She was able to explore her faith on a deeper level through the campus chapter of the student organization Cru. Along the way, she was named to the Dean’s List nine times.
The commencement ceremonies on the Whitewater campus will be broadcast live online by UWW-TV, the university television station.
Commencement on the Rock County campus
The graduation ceremony for the College of Integrated Studies students at UW-Whitewater at Rock County will be held on Tuesday, May 20, at 6:30 p.m. in the gymnasium of the Wells Cultural Center.
The commencement speaker is Jane Blain Gilbertson, owner and executive chair of Blain’s Farm & Fleet. The company was founded in 1955 and currently employs 5,500 associates in stores throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Michigan. A Janesville native, Blain Gilbertson received her Bachelor of Science in Retailing from Miami University. She currently serves as vice chair of the Wisconsin Manufacturing and Commerce Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce and on the board of the Wisconsin Women’s Health Foundation, Janesville Performing Arts Center, and the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.
The student speaker is Gloria Lara, a Delavan resident and mother of three who is earning her Associate of Arts and Sciences. Her academic goal is to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work followed by a dual master’s degree in social work and public health. She eventually hopes to develop a nonprofit community-based program to support first-generation daughters of immigrants.
During the ceremony, the Outstanding Alumni Award will be presented to Aimee Thurner, who attended URock in 1998. She is the president and CEO of the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce, where she has worked for more than 20 years, and serves on the board of directors for Visit Beloit and the Greater Beloit Economic Development Corporation.
The Excellence in Teaching Awards will also be announced at the Rock County campus ceremony.
For more information about UW-Whitewater’s commencement ceremonies, visit our commencement page.
