I’m passionate about helping women, about helping victims of domestic violence, about helping single parents. With this, I have a chance to combine all of that.
Kalyn Harris has raised a child on her own. She has struggled to figure out her future. She has endured turbulent relationships.
She knows firsthand the value of having two hours to take a nap, having someone clean the house or having someone watch her children so she can complete a resume.
“Not everyone can afford the help they need to do simple things that could help so much,” said Harris, a Milwaukee Area Technical College student. “I want to even the playing field.”
Harris, who is in MATC’s Entrepreneurship technical diploma program, has created a nonprofit called Minute Moms, where women from all walks of life can find that kind of assistance.
“I’m passionate about helping women, about helping victims of domestic violence, about helping single parents,” Harris said. “With this, I have a chance to combine all of that.”
Harris’ energetic drive, community spirit and determination to make a difference were rewarded this month when she won the second Jamar Shaw Entrepreneur Scholarship.
The scholarship was established in memory of Jamar Shaw by his parents, Jermaine and Katina Shaw, along with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 333.
Jamar Shaw dreamed about opening his own business but was shot and killed in June 2023. His parents started the scholarship to reward local young people who shared their son’s passion for entrepreneurship.
Harris received the scholarship Monday, February 9, at MATC’s Downtown Milwaukee Campus. Honoring Harris were Katina Shaw, Jamar’s mother and vice president of community relations for the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club; LULAC Council President Fela Salinas; and MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz.
See TV coverage of the presentation
“Jamar was a dreamer, a visionary and, above all, someone who believed deeply in the power of creating something out of nothing,” Shaw said at the event. “Kalyn embodies determination, creativity and promise. Her drive, her vision and her commitment to her future reflect the very qualities this scholarship represents.”
ShaTerri Dotson received the inaugural Jamal Shaw Scholarship in September 2024. She dropped out of high school, got pregnant as a teenager and spent 10 years in and out of prison. Despondent and depressed in the summer of 2023, she attempted to take her own life.
She survived and dedicated herself to improving her life. She enrolled in MATC’s Entrepreneurship program with plans to work with women who are in prison or coming out of prison. Dotson earned a technical diploma in May 2025.
“Scholarships like this make a real difference,” Dr. Cruz said. “And they remind our students that their dreams are seen and supported by the community around them.”
Harris was born and raised in Milwaukee. Her mother came from Puerto Rico and her father was from Milwaukee. She graduated from Milwaukee Lutheran High School in 2011. She wanted to study oncology, then gerontology, then became a certified veterinarian assistant.
In February 2015, she had a daughter. “I was a single parent. I got help from my mom and started working again. I tried school again, but that didn’t really work out,” Harris said. “I was trying to figure life out.”
Later, she met another man, but the relationship became abusive, Harris said. “I saw how other women in that situation were treated as dead weight, as if they didn’t matter,” she said. “That fueled my fire to help women.”
To achieve her dream, Harris knew she needed business training. MATC was a logical choice because her mother had earned a business management degree from MATC.
Kaylan is now married, and her now husband received his diploma in CNC machining from MATC. She enrolled in MATC’s Entrepreneur program in the fall of 2025.
Entrepreneur instructor Armen Hadjinian encouraged Harris to apply for the Shaw scholarship, which awards the winner $2,600. She couldn’t believe it when she got it.
“This is the very first time ever winning an award for anything I have done,” she said. “I stared at the email for a long time to make sure that was my name. The scholarship will help tremendously,”
Harris said she plans to purchase books for several upcoming classes, replace her aging laptop and have business cards for her proposed nonprofit printed.
Both Hadjinian and Harris are convinced her dream will become a reality.
“Kalyn is passionate and relentless in her devotion to the cause. It really shows,” Hadjinian said. “I think she is finally realizing that she can move into the big leagues with her idea by making the right connections through this scholarship.”
Harris said, “The people here at MATC want to see you succeed. And I do plan to succeed. I have no doubt I can make this happen.”
Learn more about MATC’s Entrepreneurship 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 35,000 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 45 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
