UWM graduation: Mother, son earn degrees at same time

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's 134th commencement ceremony is this weekend, and for one family, this year's class proves to be extra special.   

Son graduating with honors

What they're saying:

"It just feels like it hasn't set in quite yet, but once it does, I'm sure it'll feel pretty good," said Will Peters, who is graduating with honors in computer science and as a Wisconsin Army National Guard commissioned officer.

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But there's another milestone that makes this year's graduation one that Peters will always remember.

Mother getting master's degree

What they're saying:

"He’s getting his undergraduate degree, and I'm getting my master's degree in nursing," said Mary Peters, Will's mother.

That's right: Both mother and son are crossing the graduation stage. Mary, a UWM academic program specialist as well, said she will cherish the moment forever.

"It's just exciting, because I graduated from UW-Milwaukee with my nursing degree, my undergraduate, in December 2001," she said. "I went back for my master's degree, and I didn't know that Will and I are going to be graduating the same day."

Peters family Panther pride

Dig deeper:

Chris Peters is cheering them on, not only as father and husband, but also as a UWM faculty member and alumnus.

"We really hope that Will would carry on what became a family tradition of graduating from UWM. We believe in UWM, we believe that we got a very high-quality education," he said.

Chris, Mary and Will Peters

Just like his wife, Chris graduated from UWM with a bachelor's in nursing and eventually earned his doctorate while working for the university.

"I'm very proud of my wife and my son," he said. "It's got a lot of the resources of a large university, but it's still small enough to know you by name and take care of people who needed it, and it's been a great experience for the whole family."

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For the Peters family, Panther pride will always run deep.

"We're Panthers. We're proud to work here. We're proud to be alumni here. We're proud of what UWM has done for us, and we're now working for the opportunity to give back to the campus and the students," said Chris.