Lifesaver: Quick Action by MATC Student Worker Helps Revive Stricken Student

Mark Feldmann, feldmam1@matc.edu

October 02, 2024

William Musoke

I believe William's willingness to step in and help a fellow student upholds the values of MATC and really makes this community wonderful.

Erich Zeimantz, director of the college’s student life office. Director, MATC student life office

The unhesitating willingness to help whenever and wherever possible has been hardwired into Milwaukee Area Technical College student William Musoke.

Before coming to the United States in 2022, Musoke worked in his native Uganda for Nurture Africa, a nongovernmental organization that provides healthcare, education, legal assistance and economic empowerment to the nation’s 49 million residents. For seven years, he taught classes, counseled Ugandans about disease, fought fires, administered first aid, and when needed, used lifesaving techniques such as CPR.

So when Musoke saw a fellow MATC student lying on the ground, not moving and apparently unconscious in the college’s parking structure at Eighth and State streets on August 30, his well-honed instincts took over.

He parked his car, went over to the woman and tried to talk with her. “She didn’t respond. Her eyes were wide open, but she wasn’t breathing,” Musoke said.

Musoke dialed 911 and started CPR. He spoke to the 911 operator as he administered the emergency procedure that can help restart a person's breathing and heartbeat. 

A few minutes later, a Milwaukee police officer noticed the activity. She assisted while the 911 call was completed and emergency personnel arrived on the scene.

“They took over, and the woman was resuscitated,” Musoke said. “She was still laying on the ground, and she could speak, but she couldn’t move.”

Eventually the woman regained consciousness and was transported via ambulance to a hospital. In all, the incident lasted about 20 minutes, Musoke recalled. “It was pretty overwhelming,” he said. 

Musoke said that police and rescue personnel later told him they suspected the woman might have had an adverse reaction to medication. No information was available on her current condition.

Musoke, who is in the college’s IT Computer Support Technician program, has worked at the Student Life office since May. He was heading there that day to work for a few hours.

“I usually don’t work on Fridays,” he said. “But I owed two hours and was just about to start.”

His quick, calm response in a crisis situation earned praise from college officials.

“I believe William's willingness to step in and help a fellow student upholds the values of MATC and really makes this community wonderful,” said Erich Zeimantz, director of the college’s student life office and Musoke’s supervisor.

“William’s quick thinking and bravery are truly commendable,” Equan Burrows, the dean of student experience told the MATC Times. “It’s reassuring to know that we have students like William who are ready to step up in critical moments to help others.” 

Musoke, 30, was born and raised in Uganda, a landlocked country in eastern Africa. His mother is a hairdresser, and his father ran a company that imported heavy farm machinery and equipment. After high school, he earned a bachelor's degree in public relations management from Ndejje University, a private university in Uganda.

While working at Nurture Africa, he became active in the country’s political scene. He joined the National Unity Platform, a political party that opposes many of the policies of Yoweri Museveni, the nation’s president since 1986. In late 2021, Mosuke was detained and jailed for a short time because of his activities.

After that experience, he decided to come to the United States. He received a student visa, and in August 2022, Mosuke arrived in Wisconsin, where several of his relatives live. He started basic education classes at MATC in September 2022 and considered several programs: criminal justice, nursing and construction. 

“None of those were really my thing,” he said.

In the fall of 2024, he switched to the IT Computer Support Technician program and received a scholarship from the Ellen and Joe Checota MATC Scholarship Program.

The full-ride scholarship covers tuition, course fees, books and required supplies/equipment, child care, food, transportation, and in Musoke’s case, housing at Westown Green, the college’s student apartment building located on North Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Musoke is on track to graduate in the spring of 2025. He then plans to return to Uganda and help the young people in his homeland.

“MATC offers services that are unique, and I want to provide those same kinds of services to my people,” Musoke said. “I value discipline, responsibility, hard work and self-motivation, and I have a strong passion for human rights. At first I wanted to be involved in the law to help keep young people out of jail. But at MATC I realized I can help the same people in a different way.”

Musoke said he will teach IT, professional skills and career essentials so his fellow Ugandans could start their own businesses and be self-sufficient. 

“This would keep them out of the wrong activities and take them off the street,” he said. “I want to help them do positive things to help the country.”

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.