'There is a future': Cardinal Stritch University leaders reflect on 86-year legacy as final graduation commences
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Graduation typically represents the end of one era and the beginning of the next.
For the students and staff at Cardinal Stritch University on Sunday, that couldn't be truer.
Hundreds adorned in black caps and gowns, filling the inside of the Wisconsin Center for the school's final graduation ceremony before the doors officially close on May 22.
"It's been a long journey for the class of 2023," said commencement speaker Gal Dahan. "I just can't believe we're here in that moment."
For Dahan, who was recruited as a student athlete from Israel in 2019, the day is bittersweet.
“We have to be grateful for what we had and what we went through at Stritch and the impact we all made, and we are going to make in the future," Dahan told CBS 58.
“There is tomorrow and there is a future and even if it will not exist physically, it will all exist right here and right here," she continued while pointing to her head and heart.
The graduation marks the closing of an 86-year legacy.
For university President Dr. Dan Scholz, it's an emotional day.
“Stritch needs to be proud of the 86 years and the impact that we’ve had in southeast Milwaukee and really worldwide," Dr. Scholz said, noting the near 40,000 alums across the globe. “Stritch has made a difference in their lives and a difference in our communities and that’s really what we want to focus on and be grateful for.”
And to the rest of the students, who had to quickly find other educational opportunities in the midst of their academic careers following the sudden announcement on April 10, Dahan left this message:
“Keep going. Keep moving. There is light all the time just you have to look for those opportunities. One door closes, 100 others open.”
Congratulations to the class of 2023!