MATC Matters

You may have encountered some very young members of our student body this summer. MATC hosted a group of middle school students in a program designed to offer them a glimpse at college life and to make them aware that it’s never too early to start thinking about career choices and the future.

The Wright Middle School Summer Program provided 7th and 8th graders opportunities for career exploration, volunteer work, college experience, environmental education and to integrate with staff and peers in educational, informal and fun activities. All this events were sponsored by MATC Pre-College Youth Program and led by a MATC Pre-College coordinator and MSCR staff.

Career Exploration
The students heard from guest speakers in a variety of fields. Speakers included:

• A representative from American Family Insurance to talk about insurance careers
• Guest speakers from the MATC student performing arts group and from the MATC Forensics team
• A a current student from the Barber/Cosmetology program

College Life Experiences
Tours of the facilities and exposure to MATC students helped the group learn about college life. After a tour of the MATC library, students participated in a session about career exploration led by MATC librarians and learned to use library resources. The students also went on a guided tour of the college to explore different programs MATC offers.

Volunteer Work
Students volunteered in a variety of activities and had the opportunity to learn about the environmental and social needs of our community. Activities included:

• Volunteering at the UW Arboretum to help restore prairie land by removing invasive species.
• Visiting at an Adult Day Care facility to meet and work with senior citizens.
• Providing the sweat equity for the inauguration of the Solar Powered Car Wash. The event was a fundraiser to help victims of the flood.

Field Trips
The students worked hard but did take some time for fun

• Discovery Word Museum, Milwaukee where they had a good time but also learned about the connections between innovation, science, technology and the environment through exploration and interactive exhibits.
• Noah’s Ark Waterpark and Mount Olympus, Wisconsin Dells

Thank you to Ananda Mirilli from the Pre-college program for this information and congratulations to all who participated!