"We're just all excited:" Graduates look to the future as MU, UWM hold commencement ceremonies

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Graduation Day in Milwaukee! For thousands of students, Sunday, May 17th was a day they won't soon forget. Both Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee held commencement ceremonies.

It is a rite of passage that students go through each spring, but there's something about graduation that makes you feel like you're ready to take on the world.

"It`s a big step for a lot of us as graduates, so five years, four years -- it`s been a long time, so anything that we do after this is going to be amazing and we`re just all excited," Marquette University graduate Tyrell McGee said.

Commencement marks the closing of one chapter, but it also puts graduates on the brink of what can feel like a boundless future. For many, it's definitely something worth celebrating.

"It shapes you as a whole human being and that`s what I loved about it. We`re better people for it and we got great friends from it. That`s the best part," Allison Kosinski and Mary Kate Townsend, Marquette graduates said.

These graduates are touting brand new diplomas and looking toward the future. That includes FOX6's own Beverly Taylor, who earned her master's degree in dispute resolution.

"I think the best part was the hood -- when we actually got to put the hood on and, you know, show the colors in the back," Taylor said.

With so many donning caps and gowns, FOX6 asked students how they think having two major universities in the heart of Milwaukee impacts the community.

"I think it`s great for Milwaukee. I mean, as you can see, coming down here was crazy. A lot of people are down here so it`s really good for the Milwaukee area," Ashley Green, UW-Milwaukee graduate said.