Getting a high school diploma is the first step for everything. It’s the first step to go to college, to open up opportunities for a better job and to make a better life for myself and my family.
On a sunny day in May, King Nguyen wears a bright red hoodie over a bright blue T-shirt and a white baseball cap emblazoned with a U.S. flag.
His smile stretches from sea to shining sea.
To him, America is beautiful.
“This is the best country in the world, and the American people are the best people in the world,” said Nguyen who was born and raised in central Vietnam. “Where I’m from, everyone wants to learn the American way.”
Nguyen, who came to the United States in 2015, quickly discovered the American way of liberty and opportunity starts with a high school credential.
In the fall of 2025, he came to Milwaukee Area Technical College to get his high school diploma. On May 21, he received it at the college’s General Education Development (GED)/High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) completion ceremony.
“Getting a high school diploma is the first step for everything,” said Nguyen, who became an American citizen in 2022. “It’s the first step to go to college, to open up opportunities for a better job and to make a better life for myself and my family.
“This will help me achieve my American dream,” he said.
Nguyen was born and raised near Hue, Vietnam. “A very poor, very remote village in the center of the country,” he said. He attended high school in Hue and college in DaNang, about 2 ½ hours south of his home village.
Growing up, he was in awe of Americans who visited Vietnam. “They were all very polite, very generous, very nice,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want to be like them?”
He arrived in Wisconsin at the end of 2015. Nguyen was sponsored by a friend who lived in the state.
“When I came to Milwaukee, I felt like a monkey who got lost in a big, big city,” Nguyen recalled. “It was overwhelming. I was nervous, but it was also exciting.”
He got a job as a cashier at a home improvement store in Wauwatosa. After only a few months, he had sold the most store credit cards in the region and was promoted to head cashier.
Still, he felt he could do something more. He became a long-distance truck driver. For the next nine years, he hauled flatbed trailers loaded with steel, lumber and other commodities.
Nguyen often considered getting his HSED or GED, but he never could find the time with his trucking schedule. In 2025, he visited MATC’s West Allis Campus and decided to enroll in the HSED program.
“In the HSED program, I felt I could study and learn, instead of simply taking a test,” he said. “It also was a flexible program. I could study in the mornings and afternoons and online while working a full-time job.”
The courses improved his English, strengthened his math skills and taught him how to communicate effectively. “The HSED program has built my confidence and shown me that it is never too late for education,” Nguyen said. “I’m so grateful to everyone at MATC for helping me make this possible. I learned so much from all my instructors.”
Nguyen was an amazing student, said Holly Thielen, an instructor in the HSED program. “He worked so hard to get through all the classes,” she said. “He also has a wonderful, kind personality.”
With his HSED in hand, Nguyen plans to enroll in MATC’s Real Estate Salesperson certificate program, a two-class, six-credit program that prepares students to take the State of Wisconsin Real Estate Salesperson Exam. Once he passes the test, he hopes to get hired by a broker in the region. Eventually, he plans to return to MATC to earn a Real Estate associate degree.
“This profession aligns with my desire for financial stability, independence and the opportunity to help my family and others in my community,” said Nguyen, who has two sons. “I believe home ownership is a strong element to being an American citizen. Owning a house that you can call your home is one of the best ways to have a stake in your country.”
With his sunny disposition, diligent work ethic and mastery of American slang, Nguyen is born a salesperson.
“To be good at sales, you need to be honest. You also need to have a good product to sell,” he said. “A home is a great product.
“When you love your home, you will love your community, your city and your state,” Nguyen said. “Then you’ll love your country.”
Learn about MATC’s high school completion 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 Higher Learning Commission accredits the college.