After the hope theory experience with the horses, I feel more confident that I can overcome obstacles, stay focused on my goals, and keep moving forward,
Angel Reyes-Serna had heard all the stories about PJ.
Standoffish. Quiet. A miniature donkey who had experienced trauma and perhaps was a bit leery of connecting with people.
Yet Reyes-Serna found a way to engage with PJ. In turn, the donkey coaxed out the confidence, grounded assertiveness and leadership abilities within the Milwaukee Area Technical College student.
“PJ taught me that sometimes people need a strong hand to move forward and walk together,” said Reyes-Serna, who is in the college’s Associate of Science degree program. “Sometimes you need to be assertive so things can get done. PJ helped me feel confident about doing that. For me, it was eye-opening.”
By talking to — and working closely with — the animals at MKE Urban Stables, Reyes-Serna and other MATC students learned how to boost their confidence, soothe their nerves, set their goals and build their leadership skills.
The stables, home of the Milwaukee Police Department’s mounted patrol, have offered equine therapy and engagement programs to youth groups, seniors, developmentally and physically disabled guests, and veterans since 2022.
The training sessions, held on three Fridays in late July and early August, were grounded in hope theory, which defines hope as an active process that combines setting goals, creating pathways to those goals and believing that you can achieve them.
At the stables the MATC students learned horse handling skills that put the hope theory into practice, finding out about themselves, figuring out how to control their emotions, and training themselves to become better people and better leaders.
The goal is to show the students how they can regulate their energy, how they can become aware of it, to be conscious of how they are feeling and what they’re doing, said Nancy Ryan, coordinator of the stables’ equine learning program since 2022.
“The horse doesn’t care about your resume, your past or your mistakes. They respond only to who you are in the exact second,” Ryan said. “If you can learn to lead yourself and regulate your system in front of a 1,700-pound animal while trying new things, you can handle any interaction, job interview or tough conversation.”
Samantha Burgos, an MATC retention coach who is becoming certified in equine assisted learning programs by the Equine Experiential Education Association, did the coaching at the sessions.
“By interacting with the horses, we want students to realize their natural strength and power as leaders,” Burgos said. “Developing that deep self-awareness can be very affirming. We're at a time when human skills, soft skills, and leadership skills are more important than ever.”
“The idea was to bring in some of our seasoned student leaders to try the workshop, feel the impact and give feedback on the experience,” Burgos added. “What they learn in that space they can disseminate to other students and the impact will expand outward. We’re equipping them with tools that will last them a lifetime.”
Each session began with Ryan and Burgos leading discussions about hope theory and the students assessing themselves on a hope scale. They then walked into the stable’s huge, well-lit arena. Stable volunteers brought the animals, PJ, Hawkeye, Tito, Little Joe, Ronan and Arion, a 12-year-old offtrack Thoroughbred, onto the massive, sand-covered floor.
The students learned to raise their self-awareness through approaching the animals in a way that signaled they were safe to partner with — meeting the animals where they were, Burgos said. The students were taught to offer the horseman’s handshake, a polite, non-threatening way for humans to greet a horse. Students extended their arms and presented the backs of their hands near the horses’ noses, letting the haltered animals approach and sniff before students attempted to pet them.
“I grew up in the city, but I come from a family of nomads, and I think the horses can sense that,” said Alham Alipuly, an MATC student who grew up in Kazakhstan in central Asia. “They always wanted to lick my hands and arms.”
At the first session, Reyes-Serna worked with Hawkeye, an American Miniature paint horse. “The horse mirrors your emotions. They feel your anxiety, they feel your confidence,” he said. “I treated Hawkeye like I wanted to be treated: Speak softly and give praise for good actions.”
After graduating from Milwaukee’s Ronald Reagan High School in 2022, Reyes-Serna worked for three years at the Notre Dame School of Milwaukee as a youth development professional through the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. As he assisted fourth graders with homework, reading, art, music and sports activities, his leadership skills began to blossom.
“I tried to teach the kids how to deal with hardships and frustrations by being patient and compassionate,” Reyes-Serna said.
In the fall of 2025, he enrolled at MATC as a start to a degree in Kinesiology and perhaps become a physical therapist. This July he took a job as a peer success ambassador in the Math Success Lab at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus. The lessons he learned at the stables with Hawkeye and PJ will help him help students who are anxious and stressed over math, he said.
“Working on a problem until you figure out a solution develops determination and perseverance — skills you need to handle almost anything in life, not just math,” Reyes-Serna said. “For me, having confidence will make it easier to connect to the students I am tutoring. And I believe that confidence is contagious.”
MATC student Sipan Vardanian, who also participated in the sessions at the stables, agreed.
“After the hope theory experience with the horses, I feel more confident that I can overcome obstacles, stay focused on my goals, and keep moving forward,” Vardanian said. “If you keep looking where you want to go, you are much more likely to get there. It made me think about my own goals and how important it is to focus on where I want to go, not only on the obstacles along the way.”
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.