My foundation was built right here at MATC, in classrooms where I learned discipline, humility and persistence. You are not defined by where you started. You are defined by your willingness to continue.
Life can be a long, bruising, heavyweight bout. Success takes training, stamina and skills.
Héctor Colón, the president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, should know: He won seven national titles as an amateur boxer.
“Life is a fight. Not against each other, but against fear, complacency and low expectations,” Colón said while delivering the keynote address at Milwaukee Area Technical College’s 2026 Spring Commencement ceremony Saturday, May 16, at Fiserv Forum. “You don’t win by avoiding the fight. You win by preparing for it, and MATC has prepared you well.”
As thousands of family, friends, guests, and MATC faculty, administrators and district board members looked on, more than 1,200 students walked across the stage to receive their associate degrees, technical diplomas, apprenticeship diplomas and adult high school diplomas at the commencement ceremony.
The Spring 2026 graduating class had more than 1,800 students eligible for degrees, diploma and certificates. More than 600 earned scholastic honors, there were 90 dual enrollment students, and 48 veterans who wore red, white and blue cords symbolizing their service.
“Today, you are all champions for what you have achieved at MATC,” said Dr. Anthony Cruz, MATC president. “I see strength and resilience in this graduating class.”
Dr. Cruz also asked the graduates to recognize and applaud family and friends who supported them in their educational journeys. “These are the people you have had in your corner,” he said.
Graduate Elizabeth Calixto, who earned a Hospitality Management associate degree, started the commencement ceremony by welcoming students and staff into the arena.
Mustafa Yusof, who was selected as the college’s Outstanding Degree Student, addressed the graduates. A native of Myanmar, Yusof came to the United States in 2015 and is now the first person in his family to earn a college degree.
“This wasn’t easy for many of us,” Yusof said. “Some of us almost quit — when we were tired, when we were broke. But nothing happens without risk and, on my hardest days, I remembered that. I kept moving even when the path forward wasn’t clear.”
Yusof’s voice cracked with emotion as he thanked his parents, who came to the United States from Myanmar with almost nothing.
“You left everything behind so I could have a better future,” he said. “Every late night studying, every shift at work followed by homework at midnight, every time I chose the library over comfort, that was me honoring your sacrifice.”
Yusof urged his classmates to never settle, play it safe or forget where they came from. “Refusing to quit is the superpower that got you here,” he said.
Colón learned the same perseverance when he came to MATC after his boxing career ended.
“I enrolled at MATC at 20 years old, hoping education might open a door I couldn’t yet see,” he told the audience. “Then came the entrance exams. I won’t sugarcoat it. I didn’t just score low. I scored embarrassingly low. So low that I was placed into basic, foundational courses.”
Faculty, staff and advisors told him to keep moving forward, one class at a time, one assignment at a time, one small win at a time. “That encouragement didn’t remove my fear. But it gave me something more powerful — belief,” he said. “And belief changes everything.”
His belief turned into successes that formed the base of his career, serving on the boards of Nicolet Bankshares Inc., USA Boxing and Ascension Wisconsin, one of the state’s largest health systems.
“My foundation was built right here at MATC, in classrooms where I learned discipline, humility and persistence,” he said. “You are not defined by where you started. You are defined by your willingness to continue.”
He also shared five virtues that have guided his life, from the boxing ring to the boardroom: magnanimity, humility, courage, perseverance and temperance.
“Live these virtues and they will carry you farther than talent alone ever could,” he said. “Fight to keep growing. Fight for those left behind. Fight for the kind of world you want to live in.”
Trevor D’Souza, senior vice president at Associated Bank and a member of the MATC Foundation Board of Directors, announced that the Foundation had contributed $1,000 in Colón’s name to the college’s Student Success Fund Scholarship.
He also said the Foundation had given graduation gifts to Yusof and to the President’s Award winner, Quiana Wilder. The President’s Award recognizes student achievement and contributions to the college and the community. Wilder received an associate degree from the Early Childhood Education program.
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.