Caruso sings praises of UW-Green Bay faculty

Lauren Caruso, a summa cum laude graduate in Spanish and Human Biology, praised the UW-Green Bay faculty and exhorted her fellow students to aim high as she delivered remarks on behalf of the graduating class at mid-year Commencement Saturday, Dec. 15, at the Weidner Center.

The graduating class speaker is selected by the University’s Academic Affairs Office from nominations made by faculty and staff members.

“On behalf of my fellow classmates, I would like to thank every professor and faculty member who helped us during our journey,” Caruso said in her brief remarks to the nearly 2,200 in attendance. “You have challenged us, encouraged us, and believed in us. Words cannot express our gratitude. This exceptional institution has not only provided us with a positive and unique educational experience, but has also prepared us to be creative, confident, and successful individuals.”

A 2008 graduate of DeForest High School, near Madison, Caruso competed as a member of the perennially successful UW-Green Bay women’s swimming and diving team, and achieved academic distinction, achieving a near perfect grade point average and serving as a college-level tutor, research assistant and mentor for pre-college high school students.

She studied abroad in Alicante, Spain, during summer 2011, and referenced the experience in her remarks as being one of many times during her college years when she experienced personal growth by stepping out of her “comfort zone.”

She finished by sharing a quote from John Wesley that she hoped would inspire her fellow graduates: “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as you ever can.”