Meet some of the notable UWâMadison graduates of spring 2021
The pandemic couldnât hold them back â theyâve won major national academic honors, appeared on network TV shows, helped classmates avoid COVID-19, improved the campus, and even won a Grammy.
Hereâs a look at just a few of the students who will be graduating from UWâMadison May 8. Consider them a small subset of the excellence of the Class of 2021.
Her campus legacy? The first South Asian a cappella singing group
Mahima Bhattar
As a freshman
, Mahima Bhattar noticed there was no a cappella singing team among the South Asian performing arts student organizations. She soon rectified that, founding Wisconsin Waale (
âDivine Nineâ project to honor history, achievements of Black fraternities and sororities
UW students Kayla Cotton (left), Nyla Mathis (center) and Israel Oby are pictured at the future site of the Divine Nine Garden Plaza on East Campus Mall. Photo: Bryce Richter
Nyla Mathis remembers her heart fluttering, like a first crush.
She was a freshman back then, attending her first event sponsored by one of the historically Black sororities on the UWÂâMadison campus.
âI was a little nervous, because all of these women were so distinguished and so high-achieving,â says Mathis, now a senior. âBut they were also so down-to-earth and relatable. It immediately felt like home.â
Winter commencement: Rose Lavelle lauds grads of âgreatest university to ever grace this planetâ
Soccer star Rose Lavelle says she always gets asked in interviews how her life changed after scoring a goal in the U.S. victory over the Netherlands in the Womenâs World Cup Final last year.
Her answer, she says, is that it didnât. While lifeâs big moments are often whatâs remembered, itâs the work that went into them that means the most, she told UWâMadison winter graduates Sunday.
âThat one moment didnât make me,â said Lavelle, a UWâMadison alumna. âIt was the years of commitment and dedication to the sport I love and all the people who helped along the way that made me into the player and person I am today.â