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A great day to be a Wildcat

Corey Kelly/Mining Journal photo U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., was chosen as this year’s commencement speaker at Northern Michigan University.

MARQUETTE — “I look out on this field of green and gold and all I can think is, ‘What a great day to be a Wildcat,'” Robert Mahaney, chairman of the Northern Michigan University Board of Trustees, said to students, their families and friends during NMU’s 2019 spring commencement.

“It’s an accomplishment that’s well deserved and you should be proud,” he said.

NMU’s spring commencement ceremony was held Saturday morning in the Superior Dome in Marquette. A large screen near the main stage broadcasted that 1,042 students graduated from the university this spring.

The keynote speaker was U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, and Tristan Ruiz was the student speaker.

Ruiz, who’s originally from Savannah, Georgia, earned a biochemistry degree and a minor in military science this year. He was involved with NMU’s ROTC program, among many organizations and activities, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army upon graduation. He plans to go to medical school and pursue a career as an Army physician.

Ruiz said graduating from NMU was “truly a bittersweet moment” for him.

“With this chapter of our lives coming to a close, we need to remember to appreciate the good things. The things that we’ll miss — Wildcat hockey games when people paint their bodies to match the school colors, free campus cinema movies, easy access to our helpful faculty, Fall Fest and our resident advisors and community advisors,” he said. “We need to appreciate the friends we made along the journey and the student organizations we joined here at Northern. All things that make our experiences unique.”

Ruiz asked his fellow graduates to leave wherever they go a better place than it was before they arrived.

“We as Northern graduates must choose to hike further than anyone else, dive deeper than anyone ever has, and when the world seems frozen and cold and gray, realizing that the Upper Peninsula taught us that the dark winter must have to come to an end and the sun does return,” he said.

In April, NMU announced Stabenow accepted the university’s invitation to address Northern graduates. NMU President Fritz Erickson commended Stabenow for consistently supporting NMU’s efforts to secure the wireless spectrum and expand its Educational Access Network across the U.P. to bring high-speed internet to rural and underserved areas.

During her speech, Stabenow told the graduating class that their experiences at NMU will help them succeed in the future.

“Whether the next goal is to teach third-graders how to love reading, provide world-class care for cancer patients, protect the health of our waters and our wilderness, design and build amazing buildings … or continue your education, no matter where you go, the knowledge you gained, the relationships you’ve made here at Northern Michigan University will help sustain you,” she said.

Stabenow said graduating college is the beginning of a lifetime of learning.

“The first job you have out of college will probably be different from the one you have in five years. The career you begin will probably be different from the one you have in 20 years,” she said. “To succeed we must be willing to continually learn and evolve as the world changes and evolves around us. It’s important to admit to the risk of failing. That’s OK. Everybody falls down, everybody fails at some point. The real question is: When you fall down, will you get back up? And I hope you will.”

Stabenow discussed how the economy, climate and communication has changed over the years. She also told students to remain true to themselves and let the people who’ve inspired them know how much they mean to them.

“Value kindness and patience and be courageous and stand up for the ideas you believe in. That allows you to stay who you are,” she said. “I know I speak for everyone under this dome when I say I can’t wait to see what you will become and what you will achieve.”

The entire ceremony was broadcast live on WNMU-TV and streamed online on NMU’s website. Professor Michael Andary, who’s taught construction management and building technology courses, and has served on a plethora of NMU committees and task forces, was recognized by receiving the distinguished faculty award.

Jaymie Depew can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206. Her email address is jdepew@miningjournal.net.

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