Ismael Sanchez Memorial Scholarship
This scholarship is being established in memory of Ismael Sanchez by a group of individuals who knew and loved him. Ismael was an advocate for those who had experienced domestic violence and sexual assault, helping them reclaim their journeys. He was an advocate for the Latinx community in his personal and professional life. In that spirit, this scholarship is being established to provide the assistance many need after experiencing domestic abuse, and the encouragement to believe in themselves and pursue education.
Madison College Expands Dental Hygiene Program
Additional graduates from the dental hygiene program ensure a strong dental workforce and a direct solution to the dental hygienist shortage in Wisconsin.
Ensuring a strong dental workforce is an important part of Delta Dental of Wisconsin Foundation’s (Foundation) mission. The Foundation is proud to partner with Madison College via a grant which will expand their dental hygiene program, adding an additional four students per year. The increase to eight students total between first and second year and additional clinic resources directly supports the growing demand by student interest and, more importantly, the industry.
The grant from the Foundation will fund an added dental operatory and equipment for student training, with the additional students starting in Fall 2022. The ultimate goal of the dental hygiene program at Madison College is to graduate highly skilled and passionate dental hygienists into the field. With an average program retention rate of 97%, this has a positive impact on the hygienist shortage in the state.
“We’ve been working on addressing the dental hygienist shortage for the past few years,” stated Ann Boson, executive director of the Delta Dental of Wisconsin Foundation. “A similar grant was awarded two years ago to the program at Chippewa Valley Technical College, but it is going to take more partnerships to fill the gap.”
The Foundation supports dental hygiene students with four scholarships awarded annually for the past 12 years. We are committed to ensuring a strong dental workforce in Wisconsin for years to come.
Scholarship Award Takes Substantial Stress Off Student’s Shoulders
Angela has “turned her family’s life upside down” to pursue her education as a Medical Laboratory Assistant. Her path hasn’t been easy, but she’s working hard and her family is cheering her on. Read her story in her own words below.
The first time I went to college was right out of high school. I had graduated with honors and wanted to go into the sciences. However. I became deeply involved in progressive student activism on campus and I ended up changing my major to Sociology. After a few years in school, my mom passed away unexpectedly. I struggled to keep up at school; I had 8 years of college under my belt and no degree to show for it. I dropped out and began to work in management full time in a grocery store.
Fast forward 15 or so years to early 2020, and I was still working in a grocery story. I had a 5 year old son, a 12 year old stepson, a partner and a house. My son is really into dinosaurs and animals and learning about the world again through his eyes rekindled my love of science. I realized that I was unfulfilled in my current work and needed a change. I took a test online to find out what career would best suit m, and Medical Laboratory Technician was near the top of the list. It sounds pretty great, and I found that MATC offers a two year course. I applied to go part time and was accepted.
Soon after starting classes in fall of 2020 I was approached by a medical laboratory and offered an entry level job which would give me hands-on experience in the field. I accepted, despite it being a substantial pay cut and not ideal hours.
I have turned my family’s life upside down with this pursuit. Of our worries, finances are chief among them. I left college the first time with considerable student debt and I have been very nervous about adding to that. Since starting at MATC, I have been fortunate enough to be awarded two Foundation Scholarships – in the Spring of 2021 the Zonta Madison Foundation Scholarship, and this fall I received the Emil J. Frautschi Family Endowed Scholarship. Being the recipient of these awards has taken substantial stress off my shoulders – I cannot express how grateful I am. It feels amazing that there is this community of support out there; folks who want to see people like me succeed and are willing to give so generously.
From Madison College Student to Associate Dean
Lucas White is an Associate Dean in Madison College’s School of Technologies and Trades. He first came to the College as a student in the Architectural Technology program in 2007, having studied at UW-Platteville for a year following his high school graduation in Lancaster, WI. After completing his Associate Degree in Architectural Technology, he went on to obtain a BS in architectural studies from UW-Milwaukee, but in reality he never left Madison College. Through a series of opportunities and other positions, and with the help of various mentors, Lucas found his path lay at the college itself, not in the world of architecture. While he continues to teach Computer Assisted Drafting (CAD) classes, over the last 15 years he’s played many other roles as well.
Having been a student, staffer, faculty, and administrator, Lucas is knowledgeable of many different viewpoints in the college environment. This makes him uniquely able to see where resources are needed and where lines of communication exist to work out problems that arise. He particularly enjoys hiring diverse and experienced faculty and staff who are able to meet our increasingly diverse students where they’re at, being role models as well as instructors.
Lucas sees serving the students as the primary objective of Madison College moving into the future. Whether first generation students, students from diverse backgrounds, credit or non-credit, all receive equal consideration in this model. It’s a tall order and the first step is always appreciating the individual student and the unique path each one is on — as unique as Lucas’s own path through the various levels that make Madison College what it is.
Lucas says building our community through equality in higher education, along with sharing opportunities for our young people, is what motivates him at Madison College. These objectives can inspire all of us as we consider how to use our resources to build a better community, helping more students to accomplish their own dreams and goals.