Getting this recognition shows that I have made it. It shows that I have been able to accomplish what I thought was impossible.
“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran, writer and poet
Mustafa Yusof’s scar is on his left side, near his stomach, just above his waist.
He’ll always remember where he got it, when he got it, how he got it and why he got it.
Myanmar, formerly called Burma. A southeast Asian nation of more than 100 ethnic groups that borders India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand.
In 2009, soldiers pounded on the door. A young Mustafa — he was only 6 or 7 years old — wouldn’t open it. The soldiers barged in, brandishing rifles with bayonets. He stood firm, refusing to yield.
“I was protecting my family and our home,” Yusof recalled.
A soldier slapped Yusof aside. He fell but scrambled to feet. The soldier rushed forward. His bayonet’s sharp edge sliced into Yusof’s side, opening a 4-inch gash.
“I spent time in the hospital. I had to get a lot of stitches,” Yusof said. “That scar reminds me where I’m from, what my family left behind. It’s always there. It motivates me to always work to make my life better.”
Yusof has found something much, much better at Milwaukee Area Technical College, where he became an excellent student, a dependable student worker and a dedicated community volunteer.
For his extensive academic achievements and exemplary involvement at the college and in the community, Yusof was selected as the college’s Outstanding Associate Degree Student for Spring 2026. He will address students, faculty and guests at the college’s Spring Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16, at Fiserv Forum as the first person in his family to attend college.
“Getting this recognition shows that I have made it,” Yusof said. “It shows that I have been able to accomplish what I thought was impossible.”
Coming to America
Yusof was born in Myanmar. His parents had no real education — they left school after the fourth grade. His father worked as a construction laborer and owned some property.
In 2007, protests rocked the country. Monks led massive demonstrations in towns and cities across the nation, and thousands of civilians joined the protests. In response, the regime hunted down protestors and arrested hundreds of people.
Yusof’s father and other relatives were jailed. Eventually his family moved to Thailand, then sought asylum in Malaysia. In November 2015, the family moved to Milwaukee, where one of his father’s friends had settled a few years earlier.
In his new country, Yusof struggled at school. He usually was the only Muslim in his class. He was taunted and bullied, but he wouldn’t give up; his parents and siblings depended on him to translate and navigate their new country.
“I knew I had to succeed for my family,” he said. “I couldn’t slack off. I had to lock in and make them proud.”
Things improved when he enrolled at Salam School, a school for Muslim students on the city’s South Side. “At Salam I was able to catch up. I learned English and got to the proper reading level,” he said.
Yusof graduated from Salam in 2023, but he didn’t know what to do with his life.
“When I was young, I thought I would be just like my father, working in construction, carrying heavy tools up a single rope,” he said. “My father worked so hard that he became broken. He has had surgeries on his back, his knees, his shoulders. He worked so much that he can’t work anymore.”
He decided to try MATC. “I didn’t apply anywhere else because I was afraid I wasn’t going to get in,” he said. “I felt like MATC was my best shot.”
Flourishing at MATC
He enrolled in July 2024 and blossomed almost immediately. He found a job at the CareerHub, MATC's career services department. Soon, the once-shy Yusof was creating social media content and helping other students navigate the college system and begin their career journeys.
“His ability to manage multiple responsibilities while delivering high-quality work is truly impressive and sets a strong example for all MATC students to look up to,” said Jasmine Arabiyat, Yusof’s supervisor at the CareerHub.
He excelled in the classroom, making the honor roll every semester and received a scholarship endowed by Marian Drake Breskvar, a former Milwaukee Public Schools teacher who left a significant portion of her estate to the MATC Foundation to support student scholarships.
“MATC was very unique in the support it has provided,” Yusof said. “The people here have always let me be me. And they do that with everyone.”
He also began volunteering at the Hanan Relief Group, which provides resettlement assistance and basic needs support to refugee families, and at Core, a youth group associated with the Islamic Society of Milwaukee.
“The Milwaukee community is a very giving and very understanding community,” Yusof said. “I have not experienced racism. I have found the city very welcoming. Every place has its issues, but there’s no problems here that we can’t work together to solve.”
He also took a job at Amazon in Kenosha, where he rose from warehouse associate to communications specialist, directing communications for more than 2,000 employees through digital signage, newsletters, and internal channels. He also translated communications into Burmese and Arabic.
In his technical communications class, Yusof always displayed a keen interest in other students’ perspectives, said Jason M. Kolodzyk, the course instructor.
“Mustafa frequently went beyond the discussion and interpersonal communication expectations in class activities, acting as a thoughtful and empathetic voice,” Kolodzyk said. “I foresee a future where Mustafa works to motivate other people.”
On May 16, Yusof will earn an associate degree in Business Management. This summer, he will intern at a CVS drugstore in Milwaukee, learning the fine points of retail management.
Yusof also has started classes at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he plans to earn degrees in human resources and accounting. He eventually wants to get a doctorate and work in human resources.
“I want to become a human resources leader who is known for fairness, clear communication and strong support for employees,” he said.
Yusof’s future is bright, not only because of what he has accomplished, but how he accomplished it, said Dr. Sadique Isahaku, the college's Vice Provost for Learning said at the Academic Honors Recognition ceremony on May 7. "He has done everything with consistency, humility and the understanding that true education takes more than one person," he said.
Still, Yusof's optimism and pride in his accomplishments are tinged with sadness.
“Today, I’m finally free of the fear I once had, but I still have relatives in Burma who are suffering,” he said. “It’s still just as bad there today as it was when we left. I’m happy I’m here, but it’s hard to be happy when others are suffering. I don’t think I’ll ever go back there. I have closed that chapter and I have walked away from it.
He doesn’t need to ever go back: He has his scar to remind him of what he left behind.
“It has faded,” he said. “But it will never go away.”
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.