Graduates celebrate during the 2024 spring Commencement ceremony at UW-River Falls. On Saturday, Dec. 14, 324 UW-River Falls students graduated during fall Commencement. UWRF file photo 
 

UW-River Falls Commencement speakers praise graduates’ ability to persevere 

Enduring pandemic-related challenges taught students important life lessons  

Dec.16, 2024 - During Saturday’s fall Commencement ceremony at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Interim Chancellor Mike Martin told the audience that this year’s graduates have learned to achieve success despite challenges, a skill that will serve them well in their future.  
  
Graduating students entered college during the coronavirus pandemic and learned to adapt to difficulties and continue learning, Martin said. Persevering through challenges is a vital skill in a world that is “continually changing with ever-emerging challenges and opportunities,” he said.   
  
“While the graduates celebrated today have completed a challenging educational experience, they are truly positioned to enter the next phase of their lives,” he told students. “Most importantly, you have achieved the ability to continually learn. And this is the most powerful outcome of your time at UWRF.”  
  
During the ceremony, held at Page Arena at the Falcon Center, 324 students received degrees; 286 earned bachelor’s degrees, 34 earned master’s degrees and four their associate degrees.   
  
Martin urged graduates to build on their college experience to seek new opportunities and to look to serve as community leaders. Striving to be lifelong learners will lead to not only greater success but a satisfying life, he said.  
  
“Exercising your curiosity is fundamental to being a successful lifelong learner,” he said. “So never cease to be curious.” 
  
David Bonko, associate professor of marketing communications, the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Teaching Award, credited graduates for persevering to earn their degrees despite starting their college careers amid myriad difficulties posed by the pandemic.  
  
Graduates worked diligently to succeed despite those hurdles, he said, and displayed resilience along the way.  
  
“Resilience is much more than enduring hardships,” Bonko said. “It’s the art of adapting, growing and thriving despite life’s challenges. You didn’t just survive or endure. You adapted, innovated and grew at a level that many don’t realize.” 
  
Having found academic success amid such conditions will prove invaluable in dealing with future life challenges, Bonko told graduates.  
  
“As you enter your career or continue your education, you can bet you will face many challenges,” he said. “But rest assured you are much stronger than you think, more creative than you realize and capable of accomplishing more things than you can imagine. The last four years serve as living and undeniable proof of this fact.”