The skills I’m learning can follow me anywhere. I want to be able to support my family as much as I can. I want to be able to pass things down to my son.
Martin Kennedy’s world completely changed May 17, 2024.
That’s the day his son, Markell, was born.
Suddenly the 22-year-old Milwaukee Area Technical College student and his girlfriend had a lot more to think about than Kennedy doing well in his automotive maintenance classes and getting to his job at Taco Bell on time.
“I have learned that nothing is about either of us anymore, it’s all about him,” Kennedy said while cradling his 3-month-old baby. “I have become a lot more selfless. This has taught me a whole lot about myself.”
Kennedy, his girlfriend and new boy also have received help and support from his girlfriend’s family, from Catholic Charities and from Reggie Parks, Ph.D., a retention coach in MATC Drive program, a unique, public-private partnership that enhances the educational experience for transportation servicing students through community events and specialized support and resources.
Dr. Parks connected Kennedy with Milwaukee County’s Fatherhood Family-focused, Interconnected, Resilient, and Essential (FIRE) program, designed to help young parents become more engaged and more prepared for employment.
Fatherhood FIRE serves biological fathers, expectant and adoptive fathers, stepfathers, or persons serving as a father figure for a dependent child or young adult. The program aims to strengthen the bond between fathers and their children by stressing the value of healthy relationships, responsible parenting and economic stability, said Steve Thomas, manager of the Fatherhood FIRE program.
“We know that when you have a child, just getting to class or having time to drop them off at child care can be a real challenge,” Dr. Parks said. “We want to have these fathers involved in their children’s lives, and we’re helping as best we can. These students are receiving guidance on parenting and how to be loving, strong, capable and involved fathers.”
Thomas spoke to students at the Al Hurvis/PEAK Transportation Center at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus about the Fatherhood FIRE program, and Dr. Josie Veal, MATC’s public health officer, shared medical resources available for infants and toddlers. She also gave students who were young parents books to read to their children.
Kennedy was born and raised in Milwaukee. He attended Messmer High School, then graduated from Milwaukee Public Schools’ Transition High School, which serves students experiencing educational failure, truancy, expulsion, teen pregnancy and other extreme life circumstances.
Growing up, he became interested in cars for an unfortunate reason: His family never seemed to have any dependable transportation. “We were always having car problems,” he said. “Something was always breaking down. So I wanted to find a way to help the family out.”
Also, before Kennedy’s mother passed away in May 2023, she encouraged him to attend college. He started classes at MATC in January and expects to graduate in December.
“Now I want to finish and do something so that she can be proud of me,” he said.
During his first semester in the spring, Kennedy attended classes from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the week, then worked from 4 p.m. until midnight.
In May, he and several other automotive maintenance technician students helped Dr. Morna Foy, the recently retired president of the Wisconsin Technical College System, change a tire at the Hurvis Center during a visit to MATC.
This fall, he’ll have the same schedule and add in tending to his baby. “My girlfriend and I try to take turns watching him,” he said. “Sometimes I don’t get a whole lot of sleep.”
After graduating, Kennedy plans to find work at a dealership. Automotive maintenance might not be his long-term ambition, but Kennedy knows the technical education and career essentials he’s getting at MATC will help him do most anything.
“The skills I’m learning can follow me anywhere,” Kennedy said. “I want to be able to support my family as much as I can. I want to be able to pass things down to my son.
“When I first found out about the baby there was a lot of panic and a lot of denial,” Kennedy admitted. “I didn’t know if I could do this. But with the help and support we’ve got, I’m in a much better position right now.”
Learn about MATC’s Transportation Servicing programs
About MATC: As 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. More than 30,000 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 — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide 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.
