MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee Area Technical College will graduate approximately 1,200 students in a virtual Spring 2021 Commencement which will stream at matc.stageclip.com beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, May 14. It also will be broadcast by Milwaukee PBS Channel 10.1 at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 15.
Students will graduate from associate degree, technical diploma, apprenticeship and adult high school programs. Each student has been asked to upload photos or video messages to be inserted into the ceremony.
The keynote speaker is Dasha Kelly Hamilton, a national Rubinger Fellow and poet laureate for both the City of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin. A writer and performance artist, Hamilton focuses on human and social wellness. She is the author of two novels, three poetry collections, four spoken word albums and one collection of personal vignettes. She has taught at colleges, conferences and classrooms and curated fellowships for emerging leaders. An arts envoy for the U.S. Embassy, Hamilton has facilitated community-building initiatives in Botswana, Toronto, Mauritius and Beirut. Her touring production, Makin’ Cake, engages communities in dialogue on race, class and equity.
Other speakers include Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers; Dr. Vicki J. Martin, MATC president, who also will officially confer the degrees; and Keshia Herrington, who is graduating with an associate degree in human service and ultimately plans to earn a doctorate in psychology.
Watch the commencement at matc.stageclip.com beginning at 6 p.m. Friday, May 14, or on Milwaukee PBS Channel 10.1 at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 15.Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 150 academic programs; and transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.