If you asked Micaela Fonseca to sum up her time at Cardinal Stritch University in one word, she would likely respond with “community.”

A member of the Class of 2020, Fonseca delivered the student address during the University's undergraduate commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 16. Although the May 2020 commencement ceremony could not take place in person due to COVID-19, the act of gathering with her classmates, along with the Class of 2021, was important to Fonseca.

During her four years at Stritch, Fonseca participated in as many student engagement opportunities as she could. In addition to holding leadership roles as a founding member and president of Dreamers Welcome and a multicultural senator for the Student Government Association, she also served as a resident assistant and was an active member of Franciscan Servant Scholars and the Leadership, Development, Reflection and Service (LDRS) program.

Fonseca’s extracurricular experiences were as formative as those inside of the classroom.

“I strongly believe that we are all placed on this earth to connect with one another and share community,” she reflected. “While our Stritch experiences may differ tremendously, we all shared (and continue to share) the experience of being impacted by each other.”

Fonseca is now a sixth grade English teacher at Carmen South Middle School in Milwaukee. She is proud to say that she carries much of what she learned at Stritch into this new role.

“The skills and knowledge that I gained at Stritch are now helping me support and teach my students,” said Fonseca. “But most of all, I am carrying the memories and relationships that I built in the Stritch community.”

You can help students like Micaela achieve their dreams of a college education by supporting the Santa Chiara Fund.