Going The Distance: Audio Production Graduate Moves From ESL to HSED to Associate Degree

MATC has been great for us. I love the college. They have been very, very supportive.

Whenever Paul Sum wanted to move forward, Milwaukee Area Technical College was there for him.

Sum and his wife, Lian Nu, came to the United States from Malaysia in June 2014. They struggled to find work and to get around. 

“We had no car. We didn’t speak much English,” Paul recalled. “It was a very difficult life.” 

The couple read online about MATC and in 2017 enrolled in English as a Second Language classes. In December 2023, they both received their High School Equivalency Diplomas from the college.

Paul then enrolled in MATC’s Audio Production program. He attended classes full time and worked part time at night, delivering packages for Amazon and food for Uber Eats. He completed his homework in the early morning hours and on the weekends.

“Sometimes I was working on my assignments until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m.,” he said. “Some days I slept about four hours.”

His dedication and hard work has paid off. He made the honor roll in four straight semesters and will earn his associate degree at MATC’s 2025 Winter Commencement on Saturday, December 13, at Fiserv Forum.

“It has been worth it,” Lian said. “He is so proud of himself. He really likes to learn, and he loves the Audio Production program. I know there were times he wanted to give up, but he kept going.”

The Audio Production program combines creative and practical aspects of sound and music, and prepares students to work as broadcast technicians, sound engineering technicians and media collections specialists — careers that can pay up to $30 per hour.

“For me, the program was very difficult, but I loved the practical part of it,” Paul said. “All of my instructors were great. They all helped me and supported me when I needed it.”

Paul was an excellent student, said Theodore King-Smith, an instructor who taught Paul in several courses.

“Having finished the ESL program beforehand, Paul was able to keep up with ease,” King-Smith said. “He also has a good ear for music and sound, which helped him understand the concepts in classes quickly, even if there were some new terms he hadn’t heard before. 

“Paul was also quite humble in class, eventually sharing his musical talents on guitar, bass and drums for several recording sessions,” King-Smith added. “I am proud of the trajectory he has had at MATC and will continue to have in his career.”

Paul now hopes to find a job mixing and mastering music as a sound engineer, a career that will help him support his family. He also hopes his journey will motivate and inspire his three children, now 15, 14 and 10 years old.

“As immigrant parents, we are the example for our children,” Paul said. “We want to encourage them and show them our efforts.”

Paul and Lian were born in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. They grew up in the same town in Chin State, a mountainous and sparsely populated area in western Myanmar. They belong to an ethnic group called Zomi, who often faced discrimination and persecution, according to the United Nations.

The couple attended the same church, and their families knew each other. They married in 2009 but quickly left Myanmar because of the strife and turmoil affecting the country. In neighboring Malaysia, Paul worked while Lian attended college for a year before staying at home to raise their children. 

In 2014, Lutheran Social Services found them a place in the United States: Milwaukee. They moved here and found MATC.

“MATC has been great for us,” Paul said. “I love the college. They have been very, very supportive. All of the teachers and instructors we have had have been great, and they really help immigrant people. They have helped my entire family move forward.”