UW-Madison Holds Winter Commencement

The University of Wisconsin-Madison sent yet another class off at its winter commencement on Sunday.

About 1,100 graduates are now bracing for the future amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

Former Badgers Jake Wood gave Sunday?s commencement address. Wood served in the U.S. Marines before founding Team Rubicon, an organization of veterans who help in disaster zones. He said that while new graduates face a tough economy and an uncertain job market, they shouldn’t be afraid.

“You’ll begin jobs, relationships, and endeavors and come to intersections in life that will make you cringe,” Wood said. “You will be tempted to try cautiously, to hunker down and wait. But I challenge you to move forward fully, to live fully, and to never look back.”

Wood?s message reverberated with graduates like Katie Notebaart.

“I’m kind of in his boat,” said Notebaart. “I don’t know what exactly I?m going to do. I have interviews lined up for jobs but still in the process of figuring that out in my transition of applying to future schooling.”

Team Rubicon has sent veterans into disaster zones in Haiti and Joplin, Mo. Wood has received multiple awards for his work.