Photo by Dan Moore, University Photographer
One experience. This is what it took for UW-Green Bay 2026 Afternoon Commencement ceremony class speaker Reyna Barske to change her mindset and fully embrace the university that would become her new home.
Her participation in the Emerging Leadership Experience marked the turning point in that journey. From that moment on, Barske leaned into campus involvement and personal growth—ultimately graduating on Saturday, May 16, 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in Finance along with 1,331 of her fellow Phoenix.
During her speech, she reflected on how the resilience she built at UW-Green Bay is what carried her to the stage and will continue to guide her forward. “Even though the start of my journey here was rocky, my dedication and commitment to my future encouraged me to be resilient. This resiliency is what reminds me that I can overcome challenges and accomplish the things I once thought I could never achieve. Moving forward, life is not going to be easy, and we will doubt ourselves, our decisions, and our abilities.”
“…graduates dream big, move forward with passion and dedication and remember that you are a Phoenix.”
-Reyna Barske, 2026 UW-Green Bay Afternoon Commencement Speaker
Please take moment and read her full remarks, below.
“Good afternoon UWGB graduates, friends, family, faculty, and staff. I am Reyna Barske, and I am honored to be this year’s commencement speaker. Graduates, we did it. Here we are after years of working so hard, the moment is here today. We beat the 11:59 deadlines… or at least most of them. We made it through the tough classes and exams that we thought would never end, and we made it through questioning all of our decisions, so congratulations.
However, we likely didn’t get here to this point alone. Most of us have had supporters along the way, whether that be family, faculty, friends, or anyone else rooting for us. For me personally, I’ve had an incredibly strong support system through my family and at UWGB. The Student Engagement Center pro-staff, especially my mentor Maddie Wiles helped me boost my self-confidence and public speaking, which have clearly come in handy today. I then would like to thank my professors, especially Professor Kelly Andersen and Allen Huffcutt for providing me with their advice and wisdom. I also want to thank my friends and the memories they’ve created for me that I will continue to carry with me and cherish wherever I go. Lastly, I want to thank my family here today. To my dad for always supporting me, answering my late night texts when I thought I couldn’t do this, and being such a great dad while I was growing up, my grandparents for always welcoming me home with love and good food, and last but not least, my stepmom, Kristi, for stepping into my life and loving me like your own daughter and becoming an inspiring woman role model I needed. I will forever be grateful. So seriously, thank you.
So graduates, as we celebrate ourselves today and reflect on the last few years, please be sure to thank those who helped you get to this ceremony today.
I would like us to think back to our first month of college and look back on how far we have come
When I first started at UWGB, like many others, I felt lost, and I struggled to adjust to college life to the point where I thought I wanted to leave Green Bay. After my discussions with my parents and going the Emerging Leadership Experience hosted by the Student Engagement , my mindset pivoted and I decided I wanted to make the most of my time here. I did this by becoming a student ambassador, being GB Nites programmer for Good Times Programming, and stepping into executive board roles for Women in Business and Pinky Swear. Even though the start of my journey here was rocky, my dedication and commitment to my future encouraged me to be resilient. This resiliency is what reminds me that I can overcome challenges and accomplish the things I once thought I could never achieve. Moving forward, life is not going to be easy, and we will doubt ourselves, our decisions, and our abilities. It is important to keep our goals and dreams at the forefront of our minds so that when times get hard, we know what we have worked towards.
Many of you might be sitting in this room thinking you don’t deserve to be here or that you didn’t work hard enough to get here. But you did. Think back to your journey and the obstacles you overcame to get here. You are resilient. You should be proud of all the things you accomplished and endured to receive your diploma. Once we leave this room today, remember the impact you’ve made. You get to decide what you do moving forward.
You can open a local business, you can discover new treatments, you can design new products, you can be the mentor who transforms someone’s life. For myself I am advancing at my internship at Seura where I will join as a staff accountant. I then have dreams for one day being a CFO.
So graduates dream big, move forward with passion and dedication and remember that you are a Phoenix.
