I have had a wonderful experience at MATC. The college has done an amazing job hiring accommodating and understanding staff, and they should be commended for that.
Lost your faith in your fellow human?
You’ll find it after talking to Shauna Morris-Patterson for about 30 seconds.
Morris-Patterson, a Milwaukee Area Technical College student, mother and community advocate, truly believes that “there are more genuinely good, well-intentioned and decent human beings on this earth than there are people who aren’t.
“If we can find a way to come together, we can overpower a lot of the negative that is in our world,” she said.
Morris-Patterson is doing her part to dispel that negativity. She has taught preschool children, worked as a mental health specialist and founded a nonprofit agency that helps youth in need. She will earn an associate degree from the MATC Human Service Associate program on December 14 at MATC’s 2024 Winter Commencement at Fiserv Forum.
And for all her many accomplishments in the classroom and in the community, Morris-Patterson won the President’s Award, a districtwide recognition that honors academic achievement, college contributions and community involvement.
“When I heard, I was overwhelmed by gratitude and joy,” she said. “I would have applauded anyone who won this award because of what it means and what it stands for.”
Morris-Patterson enrolled in MATC in 2014 and has taken courses while working, raising her daughter and establishing her nonprofit, fittingly called Faith in Humanity Inc.
“It has been a journey,” she said with a laugh. “I have had a wonderful experience at MATC. The college has done an amazing job hiring accommodating and understanding staff, and they should be commended for that. The processes at the college have been easy, and I felt comfortable asking for help whenever I needed it.”
At MATC, Morris-Patterson made the President’s List and earned the Foundations of Leadership Certification from the National Society of Leadership and Success, the nation's largest leadership honor society.
“Shauna committed to attending leadership training focused on collaborative teamwork, goal setting, high achievement, leadership skills and styles, self-motivation, and accountability,” said Tierney Wade, the honor society’s president and chief operating officer. “These exemplary qualities are aligned with employees who are poised for success. She is well prepared for the next step in her professional journey.”
Morris-Patterson was born and raised in Milwaukee. She attended Milwaukee Public Schools’ Milwaukee German Immersion School. Her family was diverse, she said, and always spoke German to each other.
She attended MPS’ Milwaukee School of Languages and graduated from high school in 2011. She spent a year in beauty school but quickly figured out that she wanted to do something else. She began taking business classes at MATC but found her passion was in human services.
“I was always volunteering in the community and loved working with kids,” Morris-Patterson said. “Human services pulled at my heartstrings.”
While taking classes, she taught at Edgerton Elementary School, sponsored by the YMCA, and worked as a mental health specialist at Rogers Behavioral Health’s child/adolescent eating disorder unit. “This allowed me to further understand mental health and how children require extra compassion to heal,” Morris-Patterson said.
In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and Morris-Patterson gave birth to a daughter. She watched the global health crisis wreak havoc on the mental health of millions of people. They felt isolated and struggled with financial instability, job loss, illness and grief. Many of those people were children, she said.
“Their engagement declined, depression increased and mental health issues skyrocketed,” she said. “I just wanted to help.”
In October 2020, she started Faith in Humanity to provide resources, services and supplies to families in need.
She collected and delivered puzzles, books, toys, backpacks, Easter baskets, Thanksgiving turkeys and food boxes. After the pandemic eased, the group held events at community gardens, sharing information about healthy eating, mental health services and educational opportunities.
“I have alway been able to connect with children from all sorts of backgrounds, to help youth in distress, and I think that is a gift that should be shared,” she said. “If I harbored that inside myself, I wouldn’t be helping others.”
Morris-Patterson herself has experienced bouts of depression and self-doubt, lacked self esteem, and struggled through unhealthy relationships. “I have tried very hard to train my mind. As soon as I feel any kind of negative thoughts coming, I throw them out as fast as I can,” she said. “On my journey, I have felt some bumps along the way. But I have used those bumps as a ladder to climb toward success.”
While finishing classes in the Fall 2024 semester, she left Rogers and served an unpaid internship with Impact 211, a nonprofit helpline that connects people with needed mental health services.
Next spring, Morris-Patterson said she hopes to expand her nonprofit and plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Marquette University.
“I’ve made a lot of decisions in my life with a leap of faith,” she said. “So far, I have been able to help thousands of kids by doing that. So I’ll keep taking those leaps.”
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.