(Text provided by Marketing & Communications)
At 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 16, MATC will host its 2026 Spring Commencement 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 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.
MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz stated, “This commencement marks a significant transition for the graduates as they embark on their future endeavors. 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.”
Outstanding Associate Degree Graduate
For his extensive academic achievements, Mustafa Yusof was selected as the Outstanding Associate Degree Student for Spring 2026. He will address students, faculty and guests at the ceremony and 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,” he says. “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 says. “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.
“I want to become a human resources leader who is known for fairness, clear communication and strong support for employees,” he says.
Keynote Speaker
Héctor Colón, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, will serve as keynote speaker for the commencement.
Colón is an MATC alum and 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 says. “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.
President’s Award Winner
Quiana Wilder is the President’s Award winner for the Spring 2026 semester.
“You need to meet kids at their level,” says Wilder, who will graduate with an associate degree from MATC’s Early Childhood Education program.
“Most of the time they just want to be heard. I try to get them to say things out loud instead of keeping them inside. Once it comes out, that establishes a relationship where I can talk to them about almost anything. “Being heard,” she added, “can be just as powerful as receiving guidance.”
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.