Spring 2022 BBA Graduation Celebration

["On, Wisconsin!" playing]

["Hey Look Ma, I Made It" by Panic! At The Disco playing]

["Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations playing]

Good afternoon, everybody.

Welcome to our
celebration on behalf

of our Wisconsin School of
Business BBA graduates.

Let's give them all
a round of applause.

My name is Jim Franzone,

I'm Assistant Dean for the
undergraduate program here,

and I'm really, really

thankful for all
of you joining us.

And Bucky, I'm very thankful

for you leaving everybody in.

Thank you so much. We
appreciate your time.

We know it's very busy for Bucky this time of year.

Graduates, you can
all be seated.

So two years ago,

we planned to have an in-person
celebration like this.

And that didn't work out
everybody...for reasons.

And that's part of the why I'm

so ecstatic that we
can be here with

you and celebrating today in

celebrating all of
your accomplishments,

your perseverance,
and your graduation.

So our program this afternoon
is a pretty simple one.

You're going to hear
from several speakers,

including our Associate
Dean Brian Mayhew,

BBA student Bryson Williams,

and our Dean Sambamurthy.

We're going to recognize some
accomplishments from folks,

And then of course
we're going to read

your names as you cross
the stage and receive

your diploma covers.
Tomorrow at Camp Randall,

Chancellor Blank, in
her last graduation,

will confer your degrees
to you officially.

So we're very excited,
and to start,

I want to welcome the Arthur
Andersen Alumni Professor of

Accounting and our
Associate Dean for

the Undergraduate
Program, Brian Mayhew.

Welcome everybody, how are ya?

Before I get going too much,

I just want to say I'm
an alum of this program.

I was you in the 80s.
Wasn't that long ago.

Anyway. I'm super excited
to have you all here.

I'm super excited to be up here

to talk to you for
just a few minutes.

Let me start out
by saying this is

my fifth year as associate dean.

So I've been with
you the whole way.

You came and visited
me in high school.

And the first thing I did
during the admissions process,

I said to your parents,

my goal is these
kids don't live in

your basement when we're done.

Okay. That was goal number one.

Now, if you are planning
on living in the basement,

number one, I still have a
career team ready to help you.

Career coaches will
get you a job.

So mom, dad, aunts, uncles,

anybody of influence, if they
don't have a job, call us.

The e-mail address is

(sic) [e-mail]

Second of all, that
whole basement thing.

I heard there's a lot of this
virtual working going on.

If the kids are stuck
in the basement,

maybe you can help them remodel.

Kids, throw in a few bucks,

get that perfect bar or work office

mom and dad always wanted,

It's the least you can
do if you've got

to work there for awhile.

Students,

I met you first of all at a
thing called Convocation.

I still don't really know
what that word means.

But it was that week of

your freshman year when you came

in or maybe your
sophomore in Pre-Bus,

where we sort of
got you oriented.

And the big thing I
said there is show up.

Congratulations, you
showed up today.

I'm excited. You've, you've,

you've learned another
important lesson.

Now.

Since then you've been
doing things with us.

Many of these things we'd
call signature experiences.

You don't need to really
think about this too much,

but keep that word in your mind

when you fill out forms later.

Anyway, signature experiences.

How many of you studied abroad?

A few. You had you
had a tough thing.

Yeah. It's a sore subject.

Yeah. Well, come back

for a master's degree and
we'll send you abroad. Okay.

How about case competitions?

Anybody do any of
those? There we go.

A little bit of
experiential learning.

Yeah, Some employers come
and talk to you in class.

Consulting for a
local company at

all or anybody who did a little of that? Come on, come on.

All right, we've got
to work on that.

Alright, That's how I learn.

And then I know that really big

signature experience we
all threw for you,

the whole virtual learning
thing. Wasn't that awesome?

Yeah, Yeah.

You know, I don't want to talk about

the pandemic much, just
for a second though.

You guys did a great job.

You adjusted to a very
challenging situation.

So, that

shows your adaptability, your resiliency.

Unfortunately, you're just
gonna have to keep doing

that as you go through life.

And so maybe a little
bit harder way

to learn than we
would have liked,

but again, congratulations
on navigating that.

So, I want to talk just a little bit

about your career and where
you're going from here.

We learned something
about data in the school.

I hope you all have
some notion of data.

This can be a little
bit of a theme here.

But so far, 72% of

you have told us what
you're doing next.

The other 28%, I'm going to
talk to you in a minute.

Those of you who told us 70%
of you have jobs lined up,

you're going to work,
Congratulations.

15% of you are going
to graduate school.

So congratulations to that.

15% are still seeking,

again, (sic) [e-mail], yeah.

So we can still help you.

I really mean that I

want to talk to you a
little bit about those.

You do have your career
outcomes, I need your help.

So, you know this
thing called rankings.

They are actually a little
bit of a thorn in my side as

Associate Dean, where we're
trying to be a top ten school.

We need you to tell
us if you have a job,

It's important, and it
counts toward our rankings.

Like, how many of you get
jobs, please tell us.

If you have a job,
don't make us go

looking for you on LinkedIn
and all that jazz.

And then tell us your salary.

And I know you're like, why,

why do you need to know that?

Because it affects our rankings

and because we live
in a data age.

Do you remember GB
306/307, data analytics.

Where do you think
that data comes from?

You, it's all of you!

I need you to share
the data with us.

So , if you would,

I would really appreciate
you doing that.

One last thing on that.

Every year, my career
team can vouch for this,

students, get offers from

the many great partners we have.

And they come to us to say,

is this a good offer?

Do you know how we know
if it's a good offer?

You guys are graduated
before tell

us so that we know
and we can say,

"yeah, that's a good
offer" or "yeah, not so much".

So you need to help
me pay that forward.

Just a, just a little bit.

We do focus a lot about
careers and jobs here.

But I want to remind you
you're more than your career.

You can do a lot
with your skills.

You can engage that in
your life and a lot of

different ways besides
just making money.

I want you to just
take a minute and

reflect about your
time here at WSB.

What did you learn?

What did you take away?

How did, how did you
grow in this time?

If you can't think
about it right now,

there's too much excitement
and take a few moments and

the next day or two and
just kinda reflect on that.

We really hope we gave you

the skills to be
who you want to be.

Not, not who I think
you should be,

not who Samba thinks you
should be or your parents.

Who do you want to be?

Keep asking yourself that every

day and you'll be doing
right by yourself and by us.

So, you know we're a
secular university,

we don't have religious ties.

But I like to think if you

UW and the school of
business had a religion,

there'd be two fundamental
principles to that.

The first comes from
a plaque sitting on

Bascom Hall from the late 1800s

called sifting and winnowing.

And so I'm just going to read
that to you for a second.

"Whatever maybe the limitations

which travel inquiry elsewhere.

We believe that the great

State University of
Wisconsin should

ever encourage that
continually and fearless

sifting and winnowing by alone,

truth can be found."

Let me try to say
that in modern words,

at UW Madison were not afraid
to ask hard questions.

We're not afraid to listen.

We're not afraid to debate,

and we're not afraid to
revise our beliefs as

evidence is brought
forward that

challenge our existing beliefs.

I hope that you'll
leave here today

with that same spirit
in your heart,

that you will always
challenge your beliefs,

that you won't be afraid
to evaluate things.

You won't be afraid to call
things wrong that you think

are wrong and call things right
that you think are right.

And look for the truth.

The second thing is something
we call the Wisconsin Idea.

And this is a little harder
sometimes to explain,

but the gist of it goes
something like this.

That the influence and service of

this university goes beyond
ourselves here in Madison,

but to the boundaries
of the state.

We hope even further than that.

And so I want you to

take that away as
individuals as well.

You serve more than
just yourself.

You have a broader impact,

you're part of the bigger
world around you.

I encourage you to engage it,

to inform it, to learn from it.

But I also want you
to remember to be

you. Take time for yourself,

make sure that you're
doing alright,

and keep going. With that,

let me say it's been a
tremendous honor to have you

here with us at UW,

and I hope you
never fully leave.

I want to say
congratulations to you,

my fellow alumni, and On, Wisconsin.

Thank you very much Brian.

So, we had multiple students

apply to be our student speaker.

Each of them had valuable
things they wanted to share.

And valuable experiences
to learn from.

Those experiences were impacted
by huge events, right?

The pandemic, protests for

racial justice
across the country,

presidential elections
and of course,

personal triumph and adversity.

The applicants who sent in

there 300 word summary

of what they wanted
to speak about,

they told us that they
made lifelong friends,

they were first-generation
students,

the first to graduate
in their families.

They told us that the
pandemic forced them out of

their residence
hall while also not

having flights back home
to their home countries.

So they didn't have
anywhere to live.

They talked about creating
new organizations such as

"Diverse Leaders for
Tomorrow" to make

the WSB a better place.

About being resilient.

They wanted to share that
it is vital to remember

businesses are no longer
about just making profit,

they are there to make change

and make the world
a better place.

Our fellow graduates
also wanted us to

remember that each and every one

of you are worthy of

occupying every space
that you enter into.

One of the students
who was not chosen,

but did in fact have my
favorite quote, simply wrote,

"I made some mistakes.

I did some things well.

I broke my nose.

I made lifelong friends
and countless memories.

I'm not particularly special,

but I cherished my time here."

I just want to say
to that student

and to all of you graduating,

I think you are all
particularly special.

And that includes our chosen

students speaker,
Bryson Williams.

Bryson is a Finance,
Investment and Banking major.

Bryson was a member
of the Sales,

Trading, and Asset
Management Club,

Delta Sigma Pi and,

shout out
to Delta Sigma Pi,

the Student-Athlete
Advisory Committee

and the Diversity and
Inclusion Council.

Bryson interned
at Morgan Stanley

in the institutional
equity division

and will be joining
Morgan Stanley in

New York City full-time
post graduation.

Bryson also played

four seasons with the
UW football team,

earning academic All Big
Ten Honors in '19, '20, and '21.

Bryson is originally
from Lincoln, Nebraska,

and I am delighted to
welcome to our stage.

Let's have a round of
applause for Bryson.

Hello. You guys can hear me,
alright. Alright. Awesome.

Awesome.

Thank you. Thank you all so
much for being here today.

The opportunity to be up
here and speak to you all.

It's extremely humbling
and I want it to sincerely

thank and congratulate
everybody for being here,

especially my fellow graduating

class of 2022. Give
it up for yourselves.

Right?

I have a confession
I need to make.

A few of you know this.

Well, most of you
probably don't.

But on June 6, 2019,

I received an email from the
admissions office that I had

been denied from the
Wisconsin School of Business.

Thanks for that, by the way.

I haven't
forgotten about that.

I read the e-mail over and

over again just to make
sure what I was reading,

what's correct and I
could not believe it.

Now, I have failed at plenty of
things in my life before,

trust me, plenty,
plenty of things.

But this time, This
time it was different.

Our business school was one of

the main reasons that I
chose to come to Wisconsin.

I understood the longevity of

success that came along

with graduating from
this institution.

I understood that to
be where I wanted to

be and to do the things that
I promised myself I would,

This is where I needed to be.

And with one e-mail,

I felt it all fading away.

So many different emotions

and thoughts are running
through my head.

Do I cry? Do I yell?

Should I start looking
for new majors?

But the question that
impacted me the most was

how how am I going
to tell my mom?

Growing up? My mom was
always there for me.

She never missed the game,

never missed a concert.

My mom never missed a
moment in all my life,

no matter what I was doing,

was all in an effort
to make her proud

and show her how
grateful I truly was.

After receiving that
rejection email,

I knew I had to make a correction
to the life I was living.

And I told myself
right then and there,

we are going to fix this.
From that moment on.

I made the adjustments and

improvements to make
sure that the next

time this application came
around, I would be ready.

So no more sitting on my phone

watching TikToks in the back of class.

No more waiting for

somebody else to raise
their hand first.

I was going to do whatever
it took to get to

the position that I sought
after my first day on campus.

And following that rejection,

I achieved an A in

my first business
class that summer and

eventually made Dean's list

the next two
following semesters.

And this was all about
developing a genuine network of

highly motivated
people who are focused

on a similar career
path to myself.

And when the next opportunity

came from me to apply again,

I knew I was ready in

one whole year of late nights
and early mornings later,

I had finally received the
email I'd been waiting for.

I was accepted into the
Wisconsin School of Business.

The point I'm trying
to make is failure

is something that we could
easily let overcome us.

But failing in itself,

It's usually just a course
correction to success.

Success that depends on the
consistency of your effort.

Just as much it does the
quality of your work,

success that depends
on the person

you are trying to become,

not the person you once were.

As we move on to
this next chapter,

there will no doubt
be times that things

don't go our way or we
don't get the credit.

We believe we truly deserve.

But reflecting, adjusting
and developing,

that's what ultimately
makes all the difference.

The last two years of
our college careers

have been anything but simple.

What is so unique about
our class is we were

able to get a full
year-and-a-half of

normal college before having

our entire world
flipped upside down,

we now had to face
challenges that

nobody could have
prepared us for.

The restrictions and lock downs,

separation from our families,

dealing with the
future of uncertainty.

And for some of us, we had to

face the death of loved ones.

And this was all during a

time when the
country seemed to be

splitting farther
and farther apart.

Issues dealing with racial
and social injustice

came to the forefront.

People were finally
becoming aware of

the things that had been
hidden for too long.

And from this, we heard
voices from the inaudible.

We saw action by
those previously still.

We came together as
a university and as a city.

And we saw firsthand how
much more powerful we

are when we do things together.

Right now, we live in
the world that tells

you to hate those
you disagree with,

rather than listen and
try to understand them.

Where two sides can't
be right and the

other is always wrong.

Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. once said quote,

We must learn to live
together as brothers and

sisters or perish
together as fools.

You see the ultimate purpose of

a bridge is to be
able to get across

any obstacle and perform

effective communication
between two destinations.

And Class of 2022,

I'm challenging
you and everybody

else in here to be that
bridge that the world

needs now more than ever to

overcome the obstacles
that lie in front of us.

My fellow graduates, we cannot

forget the importance
of acknowledging

the fact that despite everything

that's happened over the
last couple of years,

we have made it this far,

which is an extraordinary
achievement in itself and

something that each one
of us should be proud of.

I ask you all that
as we move on to

the next chapter to
remember two things.

First, we have the opportunity

of a lifetime right
in front of us,

and we cannot let
that go to waste.

We will have to navigate
the challenges of

being in a new place
and with new people.

So don't waste this opportunity

doing a job that you
don't want to do.

And don't waste your time
around people who do not enjoy.

It's so critical to remember
that at the end of the day,

we really only do
get one chance at

this life. And it truly is

up to us to make
the most out of it.

When you're doing
something that you love,

that you enjoy, you inspire
others to do what they love.

And you will create this
rippling effect that goes

above and beyond what you or I

could ever imagine.

The second thing
I want you all to

remember is what it truly
means to be a Badger.

Being a Badger isn't
about the flair,

It isn't about the dazzle.

It's about the work and effort
that we give day-in and

day-out and making sure to

have a hell of a
time while doing it.

Coming from Wisconsin means we

don't get things handed to us.

We have to go out and we
have to work for them.

And quite honestly, we don't
want it any other way.

It means that, yeah,
you know what?

We may work all night during

the week on a project,
studying, homework,

but I guarantee you
when Saturday comes,

and it's time to jump around again,

We will all be ready
for the occasion.

Being a Badger means that no

matter where we
are in this world,

we will always have a
place to call home.

Before I end this speech,

I would like to
thank everyone in

my life that's helped me
get to this position.

I want to thank my
family for sticking by

my side through all
the ups and downs.

Specifically, I want
to thank my mom.

Oh, boy.

Alright. For other
sacrifices that you've

made, for all the hours

that you traveled just for
me to get to this position,

that I'm at right now,
I can't cry because I'll look at you, mom.

I love you though. I want
to thank you for instilling

the spirit of determination and

excellence in me
at a young age.

I plan on living life the
same way I always have.

And that is to continue
to make you proud.

I want to thank my
friends and classmates.

As without all of you,

this journey would not
have been the same.

I'm leaving this university
with memories of

late nights, of long days.

The tough, tough Friday and

Sunday mornings after night at

the KK, Listen,
we've all been there.

Okay. Gotta do it.

And with friends that I
will now call family.

And on behalf of all the
Business Badgers in attendance,

I would like to thank the
Wisconsin School of Business.

This school has changed my
life and the trajectory of

my family's life in a
way I could have never

imagined. You brought me opportunities

I never dreamed of,
brought me friendships.

I would have never
otherwise had.

But most importantly,
you gave me and

every other graduate in here

an experience of a lifetime.

And we will never forget that.

And for that, I am
forever grateful.

And I'm forever thankful.

Thank you all so much,
and On, Wisconsin.

Thank you so much, Bryson.

So at this time, we
want to recognize

individuals and groups
within our graduating class.

So as I make these recognitions

stand up briefly
and we'll applaud,

and then you can sit back down.

So we first want to acknowledge

our WSB graduates with

distinctive scholastic
achievement.

You have the red stoles
on and you are in the top

20% of your class, please stand.

Excellent, You can sit.

So. Next, I'd like all of

our presidents of student
organizations to stand.

Thank you all for
your leadership.

And then anyone else who held

a leadership position in a
student org, please stand up.

Our student organizations are

such an important part of

the Wisconsin
School of Business,

experience, and we truly

appreciate everything
you've done

to make those orgs happen.

We'd also like to acknowledge

any Student-Athletes
who are graduating.

If you'd stand, I know we
have one, awesome thank you all.

All of our
international students

who have had to
deal with a lot of

difficulty with COVID and
travel and visas. Please stand.

Any students who served
or are serving in

the military or ROTC,
please stand up.

I was the first person
to be able to go to

college in my family.

And it was a hard
process because I didn't

always know exactly
what school meant.

And so recognizing those

of you who are
first-generation students,

would you please stand up?

So we have a group of students
whose experience with

the Wisconsin School
of Business actually

started seven years ago when
they were in high school.

And if all my Wisconsin

Business Emerging Leaders students

would stand up who
are graduating today.

Congratulations to you all.

Then we have folks who
can't get enough of

the Wisconsin School
of Business and

so they're going to keep going.

So anyone joining
our IMAcc programs,

Finance and Applied
Security Program or any

of our other masters
programs, please stand up.

Awesome.

And then, is
there anyone else,

Anyone else going into
graduate school who

also just wants
to go right back

into books as soon as possible

if you're going to grad school

after this or law school
or med, please stand up.

So graduates, I'd actually

like all of you to stand up now.

Thank you. No, you don't
need to applaud them

because what I'd
like you to do is

turn and please
applaud your families.

Your parents got
guardians, brothers,

sisters, moms, dads, aunts,

uncles, all those who
have supported you

over the last four to five, six, years.

Truly, everyone in this room,

they could not have
done that without you.

So our final speaker
is celebrating

the completion of his
third year at the WSB.

So he's not a graduate yet.

But this is also his first
completely in-person year.

Dean Sambamurthy
is an Albert O. Nicholas

Dean of the
Wisconsin School of Business.

He's recognized as

an impactful administrator,
attentive leader,

and preeminent scholar in

the areas of innovation
and digital strategy.

Prior to his current role,

Dr. Sambamurthy served
on the Eli Broad

Professor and Associate
Dean of the MBA

and Professional Master's
program at Michigan State,

a leading expert
on how businesses

compete in the Digital Academy,

Dr. Sambamurthy's work

has been featured in
leading academic journals,

working with executive clients,

Fortune 500 companies and

academic colleagues in
China, Taiwan, Singapore,

India, and Hong Kong,

he has focused on digital
business transformations,

strategic alignment,
governance, and innovation,

and has co-authored
several books

on digital transformation.

Please welcome our
dean, Dean Samba.

Class of 2022.

You've done it. What's more
important is I've done it.

It's taken me three years
to have this party.

When I came here in July 2019,

I said to Jim,

Jim, why don't we have a party?

And who knew about the pandemic?

But here we are.

And congratulations.

What a great moment this
is because you earned it.

And we are here
to celebrate you.

Thank you Bryson for
those inspirational words

and thank you mom for
sending Bryson to us.

Your journey at the
Wisconsin School of Business

began a year before
I arrived here.

So I can't pretend to claim

that I know
everything about you,

but I know some about you
because at some point I had to

go behind the Zoom screen and
not necessarily by choice.

But here we are face to face.

During this four years,

regardless of what surprises and

challenges have
been thrown at you,

you have been steadfast.

You've been engaged, you've been

passionate about your education,
friendships, and growth.

That's the spirit
of a true badger.

I've heard of your
accomplishments.

There are many, many,

but here are some examples.

Many of you have
been involved in

volunteer service in
our local community.

You've taken on roles in student
organizations and clubs.

You acted as a mentor
or a tutor to others.

You've even worked directly in

the school to shape
this very own program.

One of you started for
a petition for what's now

our Multicultural Student
Center. Thank you, Nalah.

One of you

lead the UW student association

as president. Thank you, Pranav.

one of your

created a new student
organization,

the Diverse Leaders
for Tomorrow.

Thank you, Jordan. You started

your own undergraduate
affinity group.

Thank you, Lilly. You have

among you a two time women's
hockey national champion.

Congratulations, Grace Bowlby.

The collegiate DECA,

the UW Madison chapter, has been

breaking records every year for

the number of
members selected for

the international
career development

conference and competition.

I'm so proud of the fact
that at the 2022 ICDC,

competitive events,

our chapter had five
top-three winners

in the various categories,

plus 16 top-ten finalists.

Thank you for leaving
something for the others,

but congratulations.
Two BBA graduates

were first place winners for

the UW Madison student
employee of the year.

Congratulations, Madeline
Mortell, 2020-2021.

And Dakota Roettger. Having
a name like mine,

I'm very conscious of
spoiling others' names.

21-22.

Congratulations to both of you.

You have interned

at numerous companies across
the breadth of the country.

You are headed to
rewarding jobs 72%.

And if you're in the basement,

it's only because you're

redecorating your
parents' basement

with your new-found wealth.

You are headed for
rewarding careers,

both in the new economy as
well as in the old economy.

The world is just waiting to

discover your talent
across the globe.

Congratulations for
marking your time here

with your success and
impact. We are proud of you.

There's no doubt
that you have left

an indelible mark on the
Wisconsin School of Business.

It is not surprising.

When I first came
here three years ago,

I asked the following question.

What makes Business
Badgers special?

Not that I didn't know,

otherwise, I would not
have taken this job.

What makes Business
Badgers special?

I heard tales of grit.

I heard that Badgers dig in.

I heard that Badgers are
smart, can't deny that.

Badgers build a place,

they don't start from the top,

unlike that other school that I

used to look at when
I was in Michigan.

And I don't mean Michigan State.

Badgers are humble.

They are tenacious.

In my three years I found
all of these are true,

but above all, what I

learned is badgers
are Trusted to Lead.

What does that mean?

Badgers do business differently.

Badgers chase dreams
that don't come easy.

Badgers pursue ideas
that just won't quit.

I think there's a song
like that somewhere.

They have the confidence
to create the unexpected.

They find ways,

when there is no clear path,

there's no blueprint,
because they build one.

Badger leaders know
that we are stronger

when we move forward together.

We grow, we move ideas,

people, and vision forward.

During my travels for

the six months that I
could actually travel,

I went across the country

to discover what
makes Badgers great.

I met Jake Wood,

a fellow Business Badger,

who also played football,

who launched Team
Rubicon and Groundswell,

and created a bold new model for

charitable giving so that

others can have an everlasting
impact on the world.

I met Cynthia Chu,

whose journey started in Asia.

And she came through Madison to

her current role as

the Chief Financial
Officer of Audible.

Many of you probably listened to

Audible books, and it was
a great pleasure to meet

Cynthia. And find out

how her journey took her
to unexpected places.

I met Reena Vokoun, who merged

her passion
for wellness with

her entrepreneurial
instincts shaped in Madison

and polished her instincts

through a career at Google

to start her own company today.

These are only a few examples

of business badgers who have

excelled in defining the
purpose of business.

It's not just to create
industry leadership,

but it is to influence lives,

make the world a better
place and improve society.

Among you, the next generation
of Business Badgers,

I see the next Reena Vokoun.

I see the next Jake Wood.

I see the next Cynthia Chu
and I see many others.

You will leave Madison to
shape your own destiny.

You will marry the
knowledge, skills,

and experiences that
you have acquired here.

And marry that with
your own passion,

with your life dreams,
your aspirations.

We know that your path will
be paved with challenges.

There will be unexpected moments

where you will be tested.

But your persistence will

be tempered with moments
of joy and pride.

When you succeed. You will
find what truly motivates you,

And you will have the power to

affect meaningful change for
the rest of your career.

We know it because
you've already done it.

You know that the only thing

constant in the world you
go out to is change.

And, you are the ones who drive the change.

I know however, that you will endure

the highs and
lows in your career,

with the true badger spirit,

with grace, with humility,
and with companionship.

Along with your
professors, teachers,

staff in the BBA program who

enable your journey
and numerous others.

We can't wait to
hear the stories of

your success and impact and
how you are trusted to lead.

On this day.

In this moment.

Let us join in

thanking your families
who are here with you.

They were there with you
at the magical moment

when you found out that your
path heads to Wisconsin.

And maybe immediately
first try,

second try, immediately,

eventually to the Wisconsin
School of Business.

They were there to celebrate

every moment to ask you
to hang in there and to

tell you that there is a light

no matter how faint
it looks today.

So thank you, families.

Let us not forget the staff in

the BBA Program Office

who've been your
biggest advocates.

And I know it because
Jim is in my office.

Mentors and guides
throughout your journey.

I see many of our staff here.

Jim, thank you to your entire team

for bringing this
cohort to graduation,

but also for organizing

today's event as a
grand celebration.

Special thanks to
Jenny for taking

our dream and making it

a real vision.
Thank you everyone.

Finally, Business Badgers,

As you graduate and enter

the vast community of alumni,

I remind you, what
makes this place great,

Beyond the faculty,
beyond the instructors,

beyond the staff, beyond the
students, are the alumni.

I have never found alumni
who are more loyal,

who are more passionate,
and so proud.

Badger alumni give
back in all ways.

Your success is in a small way

because of those who have
continued to give back.

In a way,

you are riding on
the shoulders of

those angels who have
gone through this place

before you and what a
great community you

will be entering in
tomorrow at your graduation.

So be those angels
from tomorrow.

Be proud of being
a Business Badger.

Be our ambassadors
and advocates,

come back often to

mentor the next generation
of Business Badgers.

Come back to say hello to
your professors, teachers,

career advisors,
academic tutors,

and numerous others who
influenced you.

Come and see me, wherever

you are because I
will be traveling.

So class of 2022, take
out your shades because

your future is so bright

that this is the only
way to look ahead. Congratulations!

Thank you, Dean Samba.

So at this time we are gonna get

ready to read the names of

our graduates and
have them cross

the stage and receive
their diploma cover.

Guests, we ask
that you please stay

seated and away from the
professional photographers who

are capturing graduates as
they walk across the stage.

And we ask our graduates to
return to their seats after

receiving their diploma
covers and pictures here.

On the end of the stage.

We're going to start
in a few minutes.

We'll let our ushers
get into place

and they will guide you
through everything.

But otherwise,

Yeah, this is the
part where we get to

acknowledge you individually,
every one of you.

So we're excited.

["Pomp and Circumstance" playing]

Bryson Williams,
Adam Roitstein,

Elena Hill,
Amy Weyers,

Isabelle Rimalovsky,

Ryan Unruh,

Molly Laube,

Sydney Shortreed,

Olivia Schoessler,
Kate Price,

Kalvin Horejs,
Caroline Iausly,

Ellie Stoffel,

Cindy Ramirez Garcia,

Nicolas Flores-Sanchez,

Kaela Esperanza Daichendt,
Lily Gullickson,

Laura Hartman,

Igor Marjanovic,
Claire Brauer,

Drew Shrader,
Brock Kelly,

Balin Welch,

Brandon Chicz,
Anna Grutzner,

Abby Shaffer,
Mason Skaja,

Nicole Madden,
Lucas Leijon,

Andrew Hamm,
Nathan Cotter,

Jack Maude,
Ethan Ellerbrock,

Troy Sorensen,

Adam Sadoff,
Jack Gewurz,

Carson Kunkel,

Jackson Gray,
Michelle Perry,

Alexis Chervinko,
Cali Geschke,

Melissa Bacal,
Barry Boyarsky,

Jessie Hoffberger,

Brandon Freedman,
Gabrielle Svec,

Kezia Douglas,
Sydney Stern,

Ryan Cohen,
Maxwell Haufschild,

Tyler Kiser,
Jaeger Hoang,

Bayne Basche,
Michael Davy,

Katherine Reitz,

Lakshya Pokhrel,

Lindsey Coleman,

Sara Haas,
Alina Xiong,

Lam Nguyen,
Riya Kaul,

John Hewitt,
Bridget Marie Horvath,

Mary Josephine Shults,

Anna Brenny,
Francis Ann Ferolo,

Hailey Laubscher,

Melissa Okus,
Sydney Schuyler,

Ian Bould,
Lizbeth Huertas,

Nalah McWhorter,
Mikol Tsopnang,

Madeline Mortell,
Jessica O'Donnell,

Julia Chelak,
Lindsey Ginsburg,

Margaret Carol Riceman,

Eunjee Song,

Olivia Ann Schauer,

Alexandra Julie Rossano,

Eli Louis Winter,

Andrew Warner,

Sam Heydt,
Jordan Levy,

Jenna Story,

Kayla Wagner,

Ryan Severson,
Sofie Tesch,

Kyra Coubal,

Hannah Antczak,
Kinsey Baber,

Jack Pawlak,
Brytton Goymerac,

Samuel Smith,

Daniel Ibric,
Logan Davis,

Conrad Dudenhoefer,

Cassandra Berg,
Griffin Corbett,

Annie Claypool,

Isabelle Stengel,

John Murin Roenitz,

Michelle Strodthoff,

Danielle Lacke,
Megan Pierce, Simon Fan,

Jacquelyn Plantier,
Olympia Wundrock,

Annika Strand,
Claudia Strand,

Casey VanSpankeren,

Thomas Mengwasser,

Dylan Olson,
Christopher Mueller, Ian Melnick,

Richard Shi, Andrew Tai,

Brendan Rehborg,

Luke Nicholson,

Josie Hansen, Parker Vande Hey,

Tanya Ramesh, Taylor Conley,
Kennedy Peters,

Zachary Hanson,

Tanner Wagner-Durr,

Benjamin Sheres,

George Baldassano,

Zach McDonnell,

Riley Cooper,
Alli Kelley,

Nicole Wegner,

Spencer David Hikade,

Stefan Theiss,

Eric Hovila, Parker Knope,
Kyle Moriarty,

Emily Catherine Garber,

Kaitlyn Grace Rubin,

David Menichini, Mason Vaughn,

Kristopher Cisek,

Micheal Henry, John Reardon,

Ryan Liebergen,

Jasmin Kiani, Caden Benson,

Chris Bierman, Theodore Miller,

Samantha Statz,

Taylor Gilmore, Jakob Czupek,

Joe Beste,
Kalevi Breckterfield,

Stephanie Maluso,
Carly Seidl,

Grace Plunkett, Kayla Zimdars,
Kiley Gustafson,

Katherine Chafoulias,
Corinne Bialo,

Michael Miksic, Jacob Lebowitz, Roth Mizell,

Josh Kritzer, Abbi Bressers,
Paige Thrana,

Caroline Eno, Ellen Noeh,

Alexandra Petrova,
Sarah Nelson,

Katherine Krska, Keely Tess,

Kathryn Madigan,

Emily Nelson,
Gabija Ulcinate,

Stacey Amaya Bueno Teodoro,

LaToya Wilson,

Monica Murphy,

Jadyn Syverson,

Kelcy Lawrence,
Alex Paprocki,

Dakota Roettger, George Rouman,

Tanishka Jain,

Ben Lewer, Lauren De La Rosa,

Julia Pletta,

Shwetha Nagarajan,

Sonia Mehra,

Mitchell Harold,
Alexander Fisher,

James Kielczewski,
Gabriella Freking,

Kayla Jean Glatzmaier,

Rachel Braun,

Anna Christine Evans,

Ethan Rodgers,

Ellis Gray Greenstein

Charles Woodcock O'Brien,
Connor Granberg,

Drake Pawlak, Zachary Davis,

Joshua Rowinski,

Abi Schumacher,

Jillian Glyzewski,

Adeline Siepmann,

Christina Keirmis, Anna Kloehn,

Catherine Peterson, Anne Walsh,

Emma Graves,

Laura Mueller, Anna Hughes,

Elizabeth Peterson,
Natalie Brekken,

Erin Lohr, Mckenna Ruppert,

Margaret Krolczyk,

Jace Hipp, Eric Miller,
Mason Batchelor,

Nicholas Loberger,

Jacob LeBeau,

Andrew Doyle,

John Grossardt,

Benjamin Brandenburg,

Nicolas Marchan, Christian Spencer,

Max Schieble,

Kait Walesh,

Michael Furtney,
Jordan Kennedy,

Nicholas Siepmann,

Kieran Talley,

Pranav Srivastava, Michael Treadwell,

John Richter,
Zachary Heckman,

Tyler Wallen,
Hannah Elizabeth Cottrill,

Sara Zaidan, Bryce Waggoner,

Kylee Larson,

Michael Tarczynski,

Rebecca Meltz, A.J. Remus,

Nicolas Ishizaki,

Trevor Hammen, Kara Dunton,

Nicole Pink,

Kate Jarchow, Adam Frelka,

Daniel Leitner, Sydney Port,

Emma Escaldi,

Amanda Bushman,

Aditi Mehra,

Ellie Pramenko,

Marie Downey, Noah Lamkins,

Jeffrey Fraus, Mitchell Kastanek,

Josh Leland,

Morgan Cox,
Mirnaly Veguilla, Zach Ruder,

Andrew Danks, Sam Johnson,
Sek Teng Leong,

Rhyon Lu,
Vychel Pusparajah,

Noel Kieran Yang,

Michael Patrick Tuffy,

Cade Edward Peterson,

Ishan Patel,

Landon Tselepis, William Klos,
Dustin Luke Duffy,

Nathaniel Rehm,

Jenna Pawlowski,
Alexis Goetsch, Williams Zordani,

Nathan Artenian,

Adam Neuberger,

Matthew Prondzinski,

Matthew Parma, Nathan Radtke,

Andrew Manderfeld,

Zachary Bradbury,

Ryan Tully, Patrick Conta,

Wylie Boelter,

Andrew DesMarais, CJ Adourian,

Jack Curcio,

Patrick Sullivan,

Daniel Francis Grubb Ratoni,

Kristyn Arends, Ellie Bruess,

Mason Guell,

Madelyne Ann Krueger,

Abigail Gilman,

Emily Chermak,
Cassidy Sanchez,

Brennan Bauer, Susan Dawood,

Hannah Joyce, Zoe Hermberg,

Riley O'Connell, Corinne Etzelmueller,
Victor Nelson,

Matthew Drastal,

Kush Dani, Reynolds Pire,

Christian Galvan,
Theodore Schmitt,

Evan Dahl, Declan Donovan,
Nicholas Krueger,

Thomas Anderson,

Bryce Morgan,

Ethan Csapo,

Jack Kraay, Dominic Scola,

Nick Pauley, George Jamison,

Michael Montalbano,

Buddy Ladwig,

Carter L. Higginbottom, Isabel Cortina,

Holly Stoll,

Margaret Guanci, Nicole Stark,

Cameron Frazier, Will Koehler,

Caleb Ziebell,
Scott Hall,

Quiyan Zhai,

John Andrew Polick,

Dylan Alexander DeMuth,
Cooper Edward Healy,

Ben Kopnick, Austin Heimerl,

Andrew Cohen, Felix Liu,

Karina Gao,

Cade Geldreich,

Kayla Lorenz, Emilia Taylor Victoria,

Samantha Deakin,

Alyssa Wulf, Carson Olk,
Andre Vandlik,

Brandon Mikes, Xinying Chen,
Yang Shen, Yuchi Dong,

Danielle Kristen Stecyna,
Claire Elise Pieper,

Denise Antonela Stoica,

Stephanie Luce,

Madeline Martin, Camilo Ferreira,

Jackson Pagel,
Henry Mitchell Gruen,

Charles Langhoff,

Madaline Hughes,
Caroline Boynton, Elise Calzaretta,

Holly Brinkman,
Peter Ackerman,

Nicholas Kaye, Jake Gammon,

Elijah Smith, Jackson Arms,

Ryan Zickwolff,

Mahee Patel, Rachel Manier,
Brianne Connors,

Marcus Lanser,

Olivia Douglass,

Margaux Boyer,

Audrey Reus, Grace Feitel,

Maia Levy, Caterina Jacobs,

Arin Pieramici,
Jenna Safier,

Travis Katzenberger,

Bennett Peterson Huber,
Drew Gorski,

Lauren Foster,

Anne Martin, Briggs Hamor,

Noah Zenker,
Nicholas Lischka,

Andrew Li, John Park,

Declan Nashold,

Iliana Chevrez,

Melissa Le, Megan Ngo,

Sarah Park, Allie Weber,

Jadalyn Chalone Eagens,

Sarah Lauren Stadler,

Chloe Cole, Jason Bergstein,

Ethan Edelman, Coby Kamhi,

Dylan Shapiro,

Jason Schwartzberg,

Zach Hazen, Josh Russ,

Zach Hoffman,
Austin Rispler,

Ethan Weksler,
Matthew Shupack,

Hannah Bounds, Alyssa Odau,

Andrew Praml,
Benjamin Wetherby,

Justin Anderson,

Mallory Ellis,
Lauren Taylor Knutson,

Nicole Warren, Grace Elizabeth Colvin,
Raegan Hyzer,

Alyssa Fontaine, Grace Orella,

Stephanie Golla,
Reilly Lamirande,

Katherine Murphy,
Marissa Elaine Mongoven,

Brett Grulkowski, Emily Tully,

Miranda Prahl, Lauren Mudlaff,

Carlie Leanne Smith,

Paige Elizabeth Herzog, Amanda Janae Mitchell,

Karlie Christine Kotel,
Marlena Marie Schliesmann,

Maddie Olton,

Mary Kathleen Feldsott,

Sofia Isabella Broucek,

Olivia Stack,

Tucker Remmers, Tara Rosacker,

Emma DuBois, Morgan Karger,

Sophia Wallach,

Samuel Herbst, Jake Ward,

Matthew Wolf, Carter Allen,

Trevor Allen,

Logan Cole,

James Stephen Domach,

Maya Herr, Katrina Phillips,

Chris Waite, Trevor Michael Millhouse,

Katherine Miller,

Jessica Fonte,

Samantha Carroll,

Karly Thoe, Megan Waldvogel,

Lily Deprey, Katherine Reeder,

Teran Katta, Austin Ellis,
Ryan Hurwitz,

Jason Knoop, David Love,
Gabe Katselnik,

Garrett Sprouse,

Chitchaya Chimantoo,

Catherine Marie Cleveland,
Claire Liu, Clare Stumpf,

Carly Rose Delforge,
Madison Polack,

Alexandra Rebholz,
Morgan Rebholz,

Sarah LaBorde,
Trevin Kroichick, Evan Simon,

Elena Wallenfang,
Michael Block,

Akarsh Vasisht,

Charlie Grey,
Burke Himmelberg,

Ryan Steven Cummings,
Aaron Joseph Shapiro,

Ani Venkateshwaran,
Connor Mennig,

Andrew Giniger, Conor McGrory,

Matthew Barba, Jake Liggett,

Jovaughn Bowen, Sam Goldman,

Jack Seffinger,
Nicole Ni Tang, Elva Ng Xin Ying,

Amanda Gudowitz, Kasey Santoro,

Lizzy Kaplan,

Isabel Schwartzapfel,

Alexa Rosen,

Christopher Constantine Kondoleon,

Max Serpe, Max Gantman,

Marcel Siger, Jake Rosenberg,

Noah Bleustein,

Sam Han, Fauzan Pasaribu,

Andrea Francesca,
Megan Winarta,

Timothy Devin Sutiono,

Emma Lee Wudi, Gabby Nguyen,
Katie Wu Haghighi,

Sarah Anderson,
Harper Xiong, Joycee Wang,

Murphy Zhang, Quinn Kettering,

Taylor Laufenberg,

Zijan Zhang, Winnie Xie,

Anna Levy, Marie Mayers,

Deirdre Kelly, Hallie Greenberg,
Morgan Kamholz,

Sarah Schultz, Charley Miller,

Anna Jo, Seungyup Kwag,

Kyle Gross, Zach Lansburgh,
Alexander Vaupen,

Jason Janpanah, Aaron Dinkin,

Jacob Wolk, William Richman,

Adi Paret, Alex Handwerker,

Sasha Michael Tsirlin,

Noah Parker Spitz,

Sam Waldman, Itamar Oron,

Jonas Monieson,

Luke Frishman,

Michael Soetijono,

Khloe Yee Tung Ding,

Maurice Lim, Catherine Slingerland,

Josh Berman,
Jessica Feriancek,

Elizabeth Capperella,
Beau La Du,

Hannah Northfell,
Caroline Iserloth,

Harry Porter,
Lindsey Grinspoon,

Isabella Sahmkow,

Lily Hoelscher,

Corey Zimmerman,

Alex Lefkowitz,

Charlie Wadler, Jillian Wedin,
Navya Narendra,

Katie Hise, Lindsey Cwik,
Brooke Ament,

Tia Forsyth,

Keith Hansford,

Andre Dyslin,
Connor Grady Fixel,

Samuel Tallmadge,

Thomas John Killian Driver,

Christopher Otten-Romero,

Spencer Blume,
Muriel Goldfarb,

Justin Houdek, Chase Scandalios,
Jack Lilly, Tate Sundberg,

Amit Kumra, John Krueger,

Andrew Behrenfeld,
Tommy McGuire.

BBA students,

You have worked very,

very hard to earn one of

the finest business
educations in the world from,

let's just call it what it is,

the best university
in the world.

And we're all tremendously
proud of you.

Tomorrow you will be
officially become graduates of

the Wisconsin School
of Business and

the University of
Wisconsin - Madison.

And on behalf of
the business school

and everyone in
attendance today,

I wish you all the very best in

your very, very bright futures.

I truly encourage you to stay

connected to us, to
your departments,

to your faculty, into
the friends you've

made here throughout
your education.

And if we could give our
graduates a round of

applause one more
time, congratulations.

Dean Samba asked me
to remind you to do

one thing for him tomorrow and

to bring these to Camp Randall,

if you are going, He
would like you to have

these and so do that as
a favor to the dean.

And so now as we
conclude guests,

we'd asked you to stay in

your seats so that
our graduates can

exit through the
middle aisle and then

you can meet your graduates
out in the lobby.

Thank you all for being
with us here today, and On, Wisconsin!