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

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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.

MILWAUKEE – Where you live can have a significant impact on how much money you need saved for retirement. And according to a new study, Wisconsin ranks near the middle of the pack in terms of the most and least expensive states for retirees.

Big picture view:

MoneyLion, a consumer finance app and marketplace, examined how much money Americans would need to save each month to retire comfortably in each state. The study weighed factors such as average retiree household expenses, Social Security income and the age at which a person started saving for retirement.

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The study’s full methodology can be found on MoneyLion’s website.

What they’re saying:

Ted Jenkin, managing partner at Exit Wealth Advisors, told FOX Business that state income taxes and real estate property taxes are two of the biggest expenses that retirees need to look at. Thomas Aiello, National Taxpayers Union vice president of federal affairs, added that taxes are a reason some retirees may move to places like Florida, Texas and Tennessee – which offer no sate income tax or “death” tax.

How much in Wisconsin?

Local perspective:

Wisconsin ranked No. 28 in MoneyLion’s study, which determined someone would need to save $1,096,140 to retire comfortably at age 65. That’s based on a $54,807 average annual cost of retirement over 20 years.

To hit that number, MoneyLion said someone would need to start saving $2,030 per month at age 20 or $2,610 per month starting at age 30.

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By the numbers:

MoneyLion’s study also determined the following savings needed to retire comfortably at age 65 (as well as the average annual cost of retirement over 20 years) in neighboring states:

• Minnesota, No. 25: $1,162,628 ($58,131)
• Illinois, No. 34: $1,003,326 ($50,166)
• Michigan, No. 42: $868,526 ($43,426)
• Iowa, No. 43: $821,180 ($41,059)

Hawaii was the most expensive state for retirees, with $3,132,206 needed to retire comfortably at age 65. The most affordable state in the study was West Virginia, with $664,463 needed to retire comfortably at age 65.

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Recreation held its Partnership for the Arts and Humanities Showcase Friday at North Division High School, bringing together students and community organizations to celebrate arts education in Milwaukee.

The event featured performances, visual art, and cultural programming from a range of partner organizations that work with Milwaukee students before and after school, on weekends, and during the summer.

Ariana Holmes, a recreation supervisor with Milwaukee Recreation, said the showcase highlights the breadth of arts and humanities programming available to young people across the city.

Watch: Milwaukee Recreation hosts youth arts and humanities showcase

Youth Arts and Humanities showcase underway

“This is one of our programs out of many, many at Milwaukee Recreation, but it centers a celebration of arts and humanities in our before and after school programming,” Holmes said. “All of the partners that you see here today, they run programs with Milwaukee students after school, on the weekends, during the summer, making sure that every kid in Milwaukee has access to really wonderful arts and humanities education.”

Organizations represented at the event included Bembe Drum and Dance, Woodland Pattern, All Hands Boat Works, and Running Rebels, among others.

“We have such a wonderful range that really celebrates the diversity that is the arts and humanities,” Holmes said. “We have Bembe Drum and Dance, they’re drumming for us and dancing on stage right now. We have Woodland Pattern, who does poetry with young people in Milwaukee. We have organizations that help build boats with young people, All Hands Boat Works, really just an incredible range.”

Students can sign up for the programs through Milwaukee Recreation, which connects them with partner organizations that run programming both in schools and at their own locations. Holmes said an arts internship for high schoolers is planned for the summer.

“This summer, we’ll be doing an arts internship for older kids, high schoolers to be engaged in arts, so it really is just like a really wonderful diversity of experiences,” Holmes said.

Information about Milwaukee Recreation programs is available through the organization’s printed guides, which are mailed to Milwaukee residents. Residents are encouraged to pick up the guides and explore opportunities for their children to get involved.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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