Celebrating the Class of 2020

“You have, as Christians, an inherent optimism that is going to be contagious, and our world badly needs it.” -Rev. Mark Jeske

On Saturday, August 29, Wisconsin Lutheran College held its spring/summer commencement exercises at Franklin Field at The Rock Sports Complex in Franklin, Wisconsin. The outdoor venue was chosen for its larger capacity, allowing for physically distanced seating. At the ceremony, WLC awarded diplomas to more than 150 traditional undergraduate students, adult accelerated degree program students, and graduate students in attendance.

The Class of 2020 selected Emily Frey of South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as its student speaker. Frey graduated from WLC with a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education, broad field science education, and biology. At WLC, Frey worked in the Office of Student Life, organizing the Intramural Department and serving as an office assistant to the dean of student life. She also served as secretary for the Future Teacher Education Association and participated in the women’s basketball program.

Frey reminded her fellow classmates that they should not take God's blessings and His gifts for granted. “This school - the faculty, staff, athletics, extracurriculars - are all blessings that God has given to us, and in reality, we do not deserve any of them,” she said. “Even though we all thought we had one plan for this year, our God decided to change that plan. What an amazing

reminder that God is in control, and ultimately it is His plan for our lives that is the most important.”

The keynote speaker on that beautiful summer day was Milwaukee native Rev. Mark Jeske, who has served as the senior pastor at St. Marcus Lutheran Church on Milwaukee’s near north side since 1980. During the earlier years of his tenure there, he made a personal commitment not to abandon the inner city when racial tensions caused urban flight to accelerate. Pastor Jeske began bringing the Word of God to viewers of Time of Grace in 2001; by 2018, when he turned over Time of Grace’s broadcasting and writing leadership to Pastor Mike Novotny, the broadcasts were airing on more than 125 stations, cable networks, satellite channels, Armed Forces television, and the internet.

Pastor Jeske told graduates not to feel sorry for themselves during this trying time. “If you are, you’re forgetting that God does His best work in times of disruption,” he said. “Don’t curse your luck at being sent out into a world so disrupted. You were given this fabulous education for this very reason. You are trained richly in the Word of God to know the principles of our Creator and Savior. And you have, as Christians, an inherent optimism that is going to be contagious, and our world badly needs it.” His advice: “Don’t run away from the mess and the chaos, but walk right into it with your eyes wide open and your heart wide open.”

Stacy (Lorfeld) Becker ’05

received the Alumni Service Award during the ceremony for her commitment to WLC as shown by serving on the Alumni Board and chairing the Admissions Subcommittee, speaking at the President’s Welcome Luncheon, and giving back with her talents as a director for the WLC Theatre Department. In her Alumni Welcome address to the graduates she shared: “I’m often asked how I got from theatre major to SAAS product owner. The answer to that question for me is the same answer that you can give: your foundation in the liberal arts that you learned at WLC. When I was in school, I learned about the things that were important to my majors, but I also learned how to think, adjust, collaborate, communicate and learn new things, and how to do all those things from a foundation of Christian leadership.”

Becker also encouraged the Class of 2020 not to be afraid, “because you know that God has a plan for you, and His plan will turn out exactly the way He intends it.”