I always liked accounting, but when I got to MATC, my instructors helped turn it into a passion. They had such a passion for teaching me that it made me realize what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
While other children in Argentina aspired to be sports heroes, doctors, lawyers, chefs or firefighters when they grew up, Mariel Farina dreamed about being a bookkeeper.
She would climb into the chair at her father’s desk, surround herself with the financial paperwork from the family’s commercial laundry business and reconcile the books — at least in her head. “I’d take all the billings and pretend to be an accountant,” she said with a giddy laugh. “I loved playing with numbers.”
Twenty years later and 5,356 miles away from her native land, Farina is about to make her childhood dream a reality: In May, she will graduate from Milwaukee Area Technical College with an Accounting associate degree.
“I always liked accounting, but when I got to MATC, my instructors helped turn it into a passion,” said Farina, who came to the United States in 2020 to work as an au pair. “They had such a passion for teaching me that it made me realize what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”
Farina grew up in San Francisco, a city of 60,000 people in the north central Argentine province of Cordoba.
As a girl, she helped with her parents’ business. “I did small tasks for about three to four hours a day and that taught me responsibility and commitment. It introduced me to having a financial mindset,” she said. “I would work and receive a reward. Over time, those rewards turned into a salary, teaching me the value of money and the importance of saving.”
While watching American television shows such as “Hannah Montana,” Farina fell in love with English. She learned enough to earn a scholarship to a private school, where she studied to become an English teacher. In 2019, she signed up for an international au pair program. “This was a great opportunity for me to develop the fluency that I wanted,” she said.
Farina arrived in Milwaukee in January 2020. “They told us it was going to be cold here, but I didn’t think it would be that cold,” she said. “I showered one day then went outside and my hair froze.”
She lived in Whitefish Bay with a host couple and cared for their two children during the week. In 2022, she heard about MATC through a friend. She enrolled at the college because it was an affordable option, especially for international students who are not allowed to work off campus, she said.
Farina started in the Banking and Financial Services program but switched to the Accounting program after her first class with instructor Natasha Librizzi rekindled her love of the field.
“I heard all the passion she had,” Farina said. “Because of that passion, I changed my direction. I can’t believe how incredible the faculty at MATC has been. The instructors truly care and want their students to succeed, and that’s something I will always carry in my heart and be grateful for.”
During the next two years, Farina had three classes with Librizzi and got an A in all of them.
“From the very first day, Mariel's zest for learning was undeniable,” Librizzi recalled. “Her presence in the classroom was marked by unwavering engagement; she didn't miss a single session and consistently leaned into the material with an infectious curiosity.”
Librizzi added, “As educators, we strive to nurture every student's growth, and while we don't play favorites, there are those students who inject an extra dose of energy into our work, motivating us to be better educators. Mariel was undoubtedly one of those individuals. Her enthusiasm was a genuine source of inspiration.”
Accounting instructor Danica Olson asked Farina to participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program, in which MATC accounting students help low-income students, staff and community members fill out their tax returns, and instructor Erin Dischler encouraged Farina to serve as a tutor to her fellow accounting students.
“Mariel is a wonderful student to work with,” Dischler said. “As a tutor, she is very approachable and makes it easy for students to ask questions about the material. She is a valuable asset to our program.”
Farina said her instructors and advisors also helped her navigate the sometimes-challenging world of being an international student. “The process can be overwhelming; there’s a lot of paperwork,” she said. “But everyone at MATC has been so helpful. Even if I thought I asked a silly question, someone always replied. I never felt lost.”
After graduation, Farina plans to work for a year to see exactly what she wants to do. Then she plans to get a bachelor’s degree in accounting at either Lakeland University or the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
“Mariel is set for remarkable achievements,” Librizzi said. “Her foundation of knowledge, coupled with her innate abilities as a great communicator and a fast learner, positions her for excellence in whatever she undertakes.”
She also is getting married in October to an Argentinian she met in Milwaukee. Her parents will be at the wedding.
“For them, traveling here is a big deal. They’re so proud of what I have done here and happy to see all my achievements. They’re proud I made it and that I’m living my dream,” she said. “I’m graduating from an American college.”
Learn more about MATC’s Accounting program
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.