Milwaukee Area Technical College will host its 2026 Spring Commencement at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Fiserv Forum.
More than 1,800 students are eligible to receive their associate degrees, technical diplomas, apprenticeship diplomas and adult high school diplomas.
This graduating class also includes 50 students who have served in the U.S. military and will receive red, white and blue cords from the college. More than 600 students are graduating with scholastic honors, and there are 90 dual enrollment students.
“This commencement marks a significant transition for the graduates as they embark on their future endeavors,” said MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz “I am confident they are prepared for the next stage, which may involve a new career, continued education at a four-year university or both.”
Héctor Colón, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, will serve as keynote speaker for the commencement.
Colón, an MATC alum, will discuss his journey from being a boxer to earning his master’s degree and currently working toward earning an MBA. His advice to candidates is to keep moving forward and pursue their education.
He will share the five virtues in his life: magnanimity, humility, courage, perseverance and temperance. He says living these virtues will carry candidates farther than talent alone ever could.
“We live in a world obsessed with instant results. Overnight success. Highlight reels. Perfect timelines. But MATC graduates know a deeper truth,” he said. “Progress is powerful. Progress looks like passing a class you once thought you’d fail. Showing up tired but determined. Asking for help when pride tells you not to. Taking the long road when shortcuts are tempting. Progress is how lives are actually changed.”
Colón now leads one of the largest nonprofit human services organizations in the Midwest.
Mustafa Yusof, who was selected as the Outstanding Associate Degree Student for Spring 2026, will address students, faculty and guests at the ceremony. He will earn an associate degree in Business Management.
“When I was young, I thought I would be just like my father, working in construction, carrying heavy tools up a single rope,” Yusof said. “My father worked so hard that he became broken. He has had surgeries on his back, his knees, his shoulders. He worked so much that he can’t work anymore.”
Yusof decided to enroll at MATC. “I didn’t apply anywhere else because I was afraid I wasn’t going to get in,” he said. “I felt like MATC was my best shot.”
Yusof also has started classes at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he plans to earn degrees in human resources and accounting. He eventually wants to get a doctorate and work in human resources.
Quiana Wilder was selected the President’s Award winner for the Spring 2026 semester. She will graduate with an associate degree from MATC’s Early Childhood Education program.
This summer Wilder will start classes in UWM’s Inclusive Early Childhood Education program. Eventually she plans to work as a counselor or a psychologist.
About MATC: 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 35,000 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 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 45 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.