Western Technical College graduation ceremony 2024

LA CROSSE (WKBT) -- For hundreds of students, Saturday was the day to finally put on the robe and cap and turn the tassel from right to left, signifying the change from student to graduate.

One of those students was Daniel McConnell, an autistic man who graduated after working on his degree for upwards of 6 years.

His friend Sally Young described the feeling of watching him finally cross the stage.

Well it felt really amazing because we didn't know if he was going to be able to go across the stage or not. He stood there for a while kinda doing this not quite sure what to do next before he took the diploma. So it was very exciting that he actually did it", said Young.

The ceremony honored graduates from fall of 2023, and spring and summer of 2024.

The full video of the ceremony is available on Western's YouTube page.

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