Jian Yang stood with his wife and their friends early Friday evening in front of the Kohl Center, proudly wearing the cap and gown of a University of Wisconsin-Madison Ph.D. candidate, about to get his doctorate in civil and environmental engineering.
“This is one very important day,” the 28-year-old from China said, ready to join hundreds of other graduate students inside the Kohl Center for the 152nd commencement of the state’s largest university Friday night.