No matter what you have been through, what you’re going through or what you might go through, today you are a winner and a success.
Just before sadness swamped and swallowed her up for good, Rickiyah Wallace grabbed a lifeline from Milwaukee Area Technical College.
In June 2023, Wallace’s sister Zariyah was killed in a car crash on Fifth Street and Keefe Avenue.
“My whole life changed that day,” she recalled.
At school, she walked around in a fog. She started to miss assignments. “I went from getting A’s to getting F’s. I used to feel so happy dancing and I stopped dancing,” Wallace said. “I felt I had no future.”
Eventually, she dropped out.
In the fall of 2025, she heard about MATC’s Emerging Scholars program, which offers an alternative to Milwaukee Public Schools students not on track to graduate on time.
She enrolled. On Thursday, May 21, Wallace was one of more than 300 students who received High School Equivalency Diplomas or General Educational Development (GED) certificates at a lively graduation ceremony in MATC’s Cooley Auditorium.
“If you’re sitting here today, you’ve made it,” said Wallace, who served as one of the student speakers at the ceremony. “No matter what you have been through, what you’re going through or what you might go through, today you are a winner and a success.”
The ceremony recognized students who graduated from MATC and three community-based educational partners — Literacy Services of Wisconsin, UMOS Inc. and YWCA Southeast Wisconsin.
“We are here to witness true transformation and to celebrate the fact that you refused to give up,” MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz told the graduates. “For many of you, the line to this stage was not a straight one. You might have faced personal hardships, family obligations, the need to work multiple jobs, or perhaps previous experiences in education didn’t work out.”
Wallace said her MATC instructors immediately made her feel comfortable. “I felt I was given a second opportunity,” she said. “I wanted to make the most of it.”
Gabriela Munoz Carrasco, who received her GED certificate, delivered a fiery speech in Spanish, with an English translation shown on screens near the auditorium stage.
She called her two daughters her driving inspiration. “I want to set a living example for them and help others through our example,” she said. “MATC is the place where we can seize opportunities. It is the place I received my GED and the place where I can continue to grow.”
Wallace said she plans to return to MATC to earn an associate degree in psychology. She then wants to get bachelor’s degrees in psychology and criminal justice.
Dr. Cruz encouraged the rest of the graduates to also continue their educational journeys at MATC.
“Don’t stop here,” Dr. Cruz said. “This ceremony is a milestone, but it’s not the finish line. You have set an example for your children, your siblings, your parents and your community. You have shown that a non-traditional path can still lead to an extraordinary destination. And you have already done the hardest part, and that is get started.”
Learn more about MATC’s GED and HSED programs
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 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.