Christmas came early for several Milwaukee Area Technical College students on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, as they won awards in the college’s annual Gingerbread Parade of Houses competition.
This year, 10 students in MATC’s Baking and Pastry Arts and Culinary Arts programs designed and constructed holiday gingerbread houses.
The houses were displayed in the college’s Create Gallery at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus, then on December 4 moved to Milwaukee Public Market.
More than 1,400 votes were cast for the people’s choice award, while Wisconsin Baking Association members judged the entries.
The 2024 winners were:
People's Choice Award: Faith Yang
First Place: Danielle Christensen
Second Place: Alexandra Suchanek
Third Place: Gabrielle Viard
Honorable Mentions: Rachel Schneider and Guadalupe Rios
While the houses were on display at the Public Market, the public could bid on them via auction. Proceeds from each house will go toward scholarships for students in baking programs through the MATC Foundation Inc., the college’s philanthropic partner in supporting student success.
The gingerbread house competition started in 1995, said Cheryl Miranda, an educational assistant in MATC’s Consumer/Hospitality Services department and cake decorating instructor. In 2011, the college partnered with Milwaukee Public Market to display the entries.
Learn about MATC’s Baking and Pastry Arts program
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. 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.