Practical life lessons help provide recipe for success at UW–Madison Winter 2024 Commencement

On an icy Sunday morning at the Kohl Center, nearly 1,400 Badger graduates received some surprisingly practical life advice during the University of Wisconsin-Madison Winter 2024 Commencement - they learned how to spatchcock and roast a chicken.

The lesson, offered by commencement speaker and "Top Chef: Wisconsin" finalist Dan Jacobs, played out live on stage as the Milwaukee restaurateur donned a Badgers apron and got to work with a kitchen knife to excise the backbone from a raw chicken before preparing it with spices, herbs and garlic butter.

"[This] might possibly be one of the most important lessons you ever learn,"Jacobs told a chuckling audience. "Everyone should be able to make a good roast chicken."

While the tutorial offered a light-hearted nugget of useful advice, Jacobs made sure to also pepper the graduates with guidance they could apply to their careers and relationships following graduation: remain curious and open to new experiences.

"The thing I love most about cooking is that the learning never stops; as chefs, we're constantly evolving, experimenting, and refining our style," said Jacobs. "That endless curiosity is what keeps us inspired. Take that same thirst for knowledge and apply it to whatever you're passionate about."

A passion for knowledge, along with the support of their peers and mentors in the Law School, helped a pair of the day's graduates make it to commencement just one semester later than originally planned in spite of an unwelcome and disorienting diagnosis.

Quinn Rumler was diagnosed with Type II Hodgkin's lymphoma in September 2023, at the beginning of what was supposed to be his penultimate semester of law school. The diagnosis immediately threw his plans, along with those of his girlfriend and classmate, Kelsey Gunvalson, into a state of chaos as the couple navigated doctor appointments and Rumler's treatments together.

Ultimately, the pair needed to take a semester-long break from coursework and were able to do so with the support of the Law School and a crowdfunding campaign spearheaded by their classmates.

"It would've been very difficult without that help," said Rumler, who Gunvalson pointed out received straight As upon his return to class in spring 2024 even while he was still undergoing chemotherapy.

Now, Rumler is in remission, and the pair are both hunting for jobs and celebrating their new law degrees.

"The hardest part is already over, and finishing school feels easy compared to the treatment," said Rumler. "I just feel very grateful. This is the icing on the cake now."

Indeed, there seemed to be a collective sense of relief among many of the graduates who had just sat through their last college exams and defended their theses or dissertations. For many, the day also marked a symbolic victory over the many obstacles presented over the course of their academic careers by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Student speaker Sawyer Getschman was one of 1,545 bachelor's degree recipients following the fall 2024 semester. An additional 373 students earned master's degrees and 116 students were awarded doctoral degrees, for a total of 2,034 graduates. Getschman, who earned her bachelor's in East Asian languages and cultures, said she nearly left UW-Madison after a freshman year marred by the pandemic.

"A hundred little reasons made me stay, but the main one was the people," said Getschman. "We have encountered so much uncertainty and oddity in our college careers, but we have come out on the other side, stronger and with better stories to tell because of it."

One powerful source of strength that Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin highlighted in her remarks before the audience of more than 7,500 graduates, friends and relatives centered on "the incredible variety of people" that the graduates met, lived with and worked alongside every day during their time in Madison.

"And when you worked together, whether it was for a student organization, or for a class project, you likely found that you sometimes came at the assignment from different, even contradictory, angles - and maybe you argued well into the night about some point or another - but somehow you combined to make your project a spectacular success," said Mnookin. "That's pluralism. It's the foundation we're built on that aspires to give each individual respect, every voice its due, any idea a fair hearing and a thorough vetting. Pluralism is a secret sauce. And it's part of what makes a world class university like ours truly great."

Mnookin implored the graduates to hold onto that cooperative spirit as they entered their next chapter, whether it be a new career, continuing education or something else.

"You are ready," said Mnookin. "You have had experiences here that you will be able to draw upon in whatever comes next for you. You are prepared, not only by your academic experiences here but also by your many engagements with our community and one another."

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