December graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are bringing a diversity of experience to the world beyond the university.
Some, like Marie Arroyo, a master’s degree graduate in multicultural special education, and Tamika Bradford, with a bachelor’s degree in urban education, have overcome multiple challenges on their way to the Dec. 19 commencement.
Jaci Martinez
Others, like Jaci Martinez, a finance major in the Lubar School of Business, have taken advantage of multiple opportunities at the university to gain real world experience in their professions.
Arroyo, who worked for 20 years as a school secretary, represents the many nontraditional students who have established a new career through a UWM education. As the first woman in her family to complete graduate school, Arroyo is also typical of UWM’s many first-generation students.
“I am the only woman in my family to travel out of our country, to finish high school and attend higher education, to drive a car, to work out of my home, to speak another language,” she says, naming just a few of her accomplishments. She did all of this while raising two children, one with special needs, and caring for her husband, who is disabled.
Through the Lubar School of Business, Martinez took full advantage of opportunities for leadership and real-world experience. She earned a spot in the school’s competitive Business Scholars Program, co-founded the ALPFA student chapter (Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting) at UWM, participated in multicultural initiatives, interned at a Fortune 500 company and landed a job before graduation.
In this economy, Martinez says, new business graduates have to work harder than ever to stand out from the competition. “I’ve seen positive changes to the hiring freezes affecting corporate America, but companies still look for a high GPA, leadership roles and valuable work experience.”
To gain real-world experience herself, Martinez interned with household-brand manufacturer SC Johnson in summer 2008. Next for Martinez, in addition to her junior year coursework, was a competitive internship at Rockwell Automation, a Fortune 500 company. In a few weeks, she gets her post-college finance career off to an official start in Rockwell’s Finance Leadership Development Program. Every six months for the next two years, Martinez will rotate into a different finance/accounting function. One of the rotations entails relocating to a Rockwell facility elsewhere in the country, and possibly an international relocation. “It’s exciting to think about living overseas, and I know it will be a great experience,” says Martinez.
Tamika Bradford
Like many UWM graduates, Bradford’s experiences have inspired her career path. Before college, she was sentenced to five years in prison. Strong family support, ambition and determination helped her earn a degree in prison, gain early release and succeed at UWM.
Bradford plans to combine her bachelor’s degree in urban education with a graduate degree in counseling, eventually creating a pre-release transition program for women in prison.
“Many women are released (from prison) with as little as the clothes on their backs and a bus pass; no plans at all,” she says. “Don’t tell these women that their transition begins when they get home. It needs to begin before they are released.”
Completing more than 50 percent of her UWM coursework online was a great convenience, she says, and allowed her to work full time in the university’s Chemistry Department and graduate on schedule. The gift of two scholarships, totaling $10,000, was an answered prayer that deepened her determination.
“UWM is really what you make of it,” she says. “You’re in control of what happens here.”