“MATC is the greatest thing that ever happened to me,” said Ruben Casarez, Jr., Human Service Associate student, in an interview about what our institution has done for him. Before enrolling here, Casarez had been in and out of foster homes, jail and school.

Casarez’s childhood was one of instability. His father was not a part of the picture. His mother, who suffered from bipolar schizophrenia, was in and out of hospitals and jail, leaving Casarez in foster homes since age 5.

At age 12, Casarez joined a gang and robbed a Blue Bunny ice cream store, which got him sent to a juvenile delinquency center.

This would be the beginning of a revolving-door relationship Casarez would have with his gang life and jail. At age 19, Casarez was again released from jail. He then made a choice to not go back to the street life.

Instead, he walked away from his gang to join the Liberal Arts and Sciences program in the summer of 2008. During that semester he went to Labor Fest where he had the opportunity to hear Barak Obama speak.

“He inspired me right then and there. I decided to work for his campaign and switch my major over to Human Service Associate.”

Casarez is currently the Vice President of the Downtown Milwaukee Student Senate. He plans to work with at-risk youth in the corrections setting or group homes.

“They say that juveniles can get molded into anything because they are so (easily) influenced.”

He added, “In the hood they mostly see the bad stuff, and I want to guide them to a better alternative. I feel with my experiences they will be more apt to listen to me.”

After Casarez graduates here, he plans to continue on at UWM in their Social Work Bachelors Degree program.