A family first for MATC grad

KJ Lor thought there must be a catch when his guidance counselor at South Division High School told him there was a program that would pay for him to attend Milwaukee Area Technical College.

“There’s always a catch on every good offer,” said Lor, 20. “But the only catch was that I pass all of my classes and don’t drop out.”

Lor accepted — making him the first in his family to attend college.

The program is called MATC Promise. It’s privately funded and helps lower-income students bridge the gap between federal and other financial aid and the cost of tuition.

On Friday night, at a graduation ceremony for 1,400 MATC students, County Executive Chris Abele announced his plans to personally donate $500,000 to fund additional scholarships.

“The barrier for too many people to education — that helps improve their opportunities in the job market — is cost,” Abele said. “When you can remove that as a barrier, it’s not just a feel-good thing; it’s more people who are employable. It lowers crime, improves property values.”

Abele contributed $250,000 in 2015 to help launch the MATC Promise program. This year’s funding will be aimed at adults living in one of Milwaukee’s most troubled neighborhoods, the 53206 ZIP code, Abele said.

“We’re bringing empowerment to the part of Milwaukee that needs it the most,” he said, adding that one of his highest priorities is addressing racial disparities around Milwaukee.

"This is an all-of-us problem and it needs an all-of-us solution," he said. 

The MATC Promise program is an offshoot of a national initiative promoting better access to higher education called The College Promise Campaign chaired by Jill Biden, wife of the former vice president and the keynote speaker at MATC’s graduation.

“Community Colleges are America’s best-kept secret,” Biden told the students, friends and families who packed the downtown UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. “Their students are the best of what our nation has to offer. You are hardworking, inspiring, strong people.”

The former second lady told the graduates that the opportunity for higher learning should be available to everyone who is interested “no matter their income, background or family name.”

Biden is an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College and has advocated for better collaboration between community colleges and employers.

"Education changes who we are," she said. "It makes us smarter, more compassionate,  more engaged citizens."