Celebrating Commencement: Adult Degree grads reflect, look forward

More than 50 Adult Degree Program Students joined the ranks of UW-Green Bay alumni Dec. 17, participating in mid-year commencement ceremonies at the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts. This video captures some of their thoughts, stories and plans for the future.

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Transcript:

Deborah Schuster: “This is huge. It’s surreal — and I think I want to wear my cap and gown all day.”

CrystalRose Dodson: “It’s hard to explain in words, because I’ve worked so hard to come this far.”

Lisa Ripley: “It was awesome — I mean, I started out, obviously, as a junior and I was able to use the interior design degree that I had from Fox Valley Tech and start that way, and continue to work and use all of those skills collectively. So it was really challenging, but it was definitely worth it.”

Dodson: “All the classes, because they interconnected and they all kind of stand on growing and thinking outside of the box and meeting challenges and being able to do that in an organized manner really helped me a lot through a lot of the barriers and focused on my priority — and that was graduating and doing very well.”

Koeller: “Just looking back on some of the teachers I had, they were just fantastic. I didn’t have to worry about (teaching assistants) or anything like that.”

Ripley: “Well, I think I’ll continue to work in real estate — that’s what I do now — and then possibly in the next couple of years decide to go to maybe either Marquette or (UW) Madison for law school.

Dodson: “I want to help people that are disadvantaged, and see that interdisciplinary studies can help you in life, and that you can go someplace with it and help other people.”

Schuster: “Hello, my name is Debbie Schuster and I’m a UWGB graduate.”

Koeller: “My name is Raymond Koeller and I’m a UWGB graduate.”

Ripley: “My name is Lisa Ripley and I am a UWGB graduate.”

Dodson: “My name is CrystalRose Dodson and I am a UWGB graduate.”

Click here for a photo gallery of the graduates.