On Dec. 12, Madison College graduates were handed their certificates and diplomas during the Fall 2024 Commencement Ceremony at the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum.
Alex Kaiser, the graduate speaker at the ceremony, reflected on his time before and after starting Madison College.
He expressed how the college and the Student Achievement Center helped shape him into the person he is today.
“I’m going to tell you who I was three years ago, what my time at Madison College looked like, who I am now, and a couple of things I learned along the way,” Kaiser said in introducing his speech.
Six years after high school, in Kaiser’s own words, he had been “an excellent burnout.” Where Kaiser spoke of how he had felt aimless, working in dive bars and playing in punk bands trying to get by.
To Kaiser, the thought of turning his life in the right direction during that time, while his loved ones were graduating, starting careers and families of their own, made him feel inadequate and shameful by starting so late in life. But Madison College and the Student Achievement Center had given him the chance to start over.
“I can’t tell you exactly what got me to enroll, but I can tell you it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Kaiser said in his ceremony speech.
Kaiser’s first three semesters were very different than his last three.
His first three semesters, Kaiser was doubtful he made the right decision going back to college. He was only half interested in his enrolled program, and going to classes felt like a chore.
“I was at a crossroads. I could either give up on this whole school thing and succumb to the doubt that afflicted me, or stop pussyfooting around and go all in.”
With encouragement and help from friends, family, and the students and staff of the college, all of them helped Kaiser to become confident, and to thrive in his educational career at Madison College.
During his last three semesters, Kaiser started to get more involved at the college. Where he attended school events and became a frequent attendee at the STEM club.
With help from teachers like Brianna Lytle, and advisors like Scarlet Martino and Carolyn Shaffer, Kaiser applied for and received positions in the tutoring and Volunteer Center.
Kaiser highlights his inspiration from his classmates, like Student Senate President Kai Brito, who encouraged him to join the Student Activities Board and be involved in student government.
He says he owes his academic successes, many of his friendships, and his overall connection to Madison College, due in large part to the Student Achievement Center (SAC).
“Madison College will always hold a special place in my heart because it was there for me when I was ready to change,” Kaiser said.
Overall, Kaiser reflects on how his life today looks significantly different than before starting at the college. From being terrified for his future, to making big plans for it.
After graduation, Kaiser plans on transferring to UW of Madison, and his major will be in Applied Math in Engineering.