Everything I learned at MATC I’m using on the job. When I talk to my friends and people I have met, I always tell them to think about MATC. They really help you here. It’s a great school. I would tell anyone to think about even taking their first two years here because of the cost. I’ll always recommend MATC.
MILWAUKEE – Daniel Rubiano has the heart of an artist and the hands of a welder.
Someday, he hopes to make a living making clothes and music, capturing the bright colors, the florid symbols, the lilting rhythms and melliferous sounds of his native Colombia.
But for now, thanks to Milwaukee Area Technical College and a scholarship supported by the world-famous rock band Metallica, he has a degree in welding and is earning great pay at a Milwaukee metal fabrication firm.
“Welding is a trade that I will have forever, no matter where I go or what else I try to do,” said Rubiano, who came to the United States to attend high school in Milwaukee. “When I was young in Colombia, I always saw an older man welding out front of his house near my school. For some reason that image always stuck with me.”
Rubiano grew up in the Santander area of Colombia, a region in the Andes Mountains full of valleys and rugged terrain. He wanted to be an architect, but he also knew that getting a job in Colombia would be difficult without the proper connections. So his parents told him to go to the United States to finish high school and attend college.
“They sent me here to get me out of my comfort zone,” he said.
His aunt was married in Milwaukee and had been in Wisconsin for more than 20 years. His grandmother has been here for more than a decade and his older sister, who works as a civil engineer for the City of Milwaukee, lives here with her husband and daughter. He stayed with relatives in Milwaukee and attended Milwaukee Public Schools’ Alexander Hamilton High School.
After graduating from Hamilton, he planned to head back to Colombia to get a student visa, but the COVID-19 pandemic struck and he had to stay in Milwaukee. Rubiano put the time to good use: He practiced speaking English with his aunt, looked at colleges and decided MATC would be a good fit for him.
Learn about MATC’s International Student Services
“It was a technical college, so that meant I could learn something fast,” Rubiano said. “At the time my English wasn’t great, and I probably would have struggled at a bigger school like University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee or Milwaukee School of Engineering. Plus, there was the cost. MATC was way more affordable. MATC was the best choice for me.”
He started classes and eventually took a job as a student ambassador in the college’s recruitment department. He then received an email from advisors in the college’s Manufacturing, Construction and Transportation Pathway about the Metallica scholarship. He applied and received $1,000.
“It was free money,” he said with a smile. “When you are an international student and have to pay for everything, every little bit helps.”
The scholarship was from All Within My Hands (AWMH), a workforce initiative sponsored by the band Metallica. The program is designed to help prospective students, recent high school graduates, and adults discover and explore hands-on careers in “heavy metal” fields, including automotive/diesel tech, truck driving, computerized manufacturing, HVAC and welding.
In July 2022, MATC was selected from a competitive field of community colleges across the country to receive $100,000 from AWMH, which was established by the members and management of Metallica in 2017 as a means to invest in the people and places that have supported the band.
“The mission of Metallica’s All Within My Hands aligns perfectly with our mission, which is to offer an education that transforms lives, industry and community,” said MATC President Dr. Vicki J. Martin at the time. “This funding will help students enroll in our high quality, in-demand programs that meet local employer and community needs — leading to careers that provide family-supporting wages and better lives.”
Thanks to the scholarship, Rubiano graduated in the spring of 2023 with an associate degree in Welding Technology and started looking for work.
“He always talked about how much he enjoyed his studies in the welding department,” said Courtney Kelly, MATC’s special projects coordinator of scholarships, who worked with Rubiano in the Recruitment department. “I referred him to a couple of local employers, which landed him an interview and ultimately a job.”
He got a position at Capitol Stampings on North Avenue. Founded in 1945, the company provides custom metal fabrication and metal assembly services. Rubiano programs robotic welding machines and helps out in any other areas as needed.
“Everything I learned at MATC I’m using on the job,” he said. “When I talk to my friends and people I have met, I always tell them to think about MATC. They really help you here. It’s a great school. I would tell anyone to think about even taking their first two years here because of the cost. I’ll always recommend MATC.”
Learn about MATC’s Welding programs
About All Within My Hands (AWMH): Established by the members and management of Metallica in 2017 as a means to invest in the people and places that have supported the band, AWMH is focused on supporting sustainable communities through workforce education, the fight against hunger and other critical local services. All expenses of the AWMH are covered by the band, the board and a few special friends so that 100% of donations go to the organizations it supports. AWMH is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
ABOUT MATC: Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. Nearly 28,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs; and transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.