On Saturday, Nov. 9, the Downtown Milwaukee campus opened its doors to prospective students with its annual Open House. Programs set up areas with course materials to give visitors an idea of what could be expected upon enrollment. For someone with only a vague idea of the type of education they would like to pursue, it was an invaluable opportunity to explore what MATC has to offer. Dean Pietrangelo, a Milwaukee area high school student, visited with his parents without a strong interest in any one program. He came away impressed by carpentry. His mother, Lynn Pietrangelo, spoke on the effectiveness of the instructors’ abilities to share the details of the curriculum at the Open House. “That’s why we came down here today. The administrators were very informative of what the program entailed and what classes he’d be taking,” she shared.
John Lopez is the Recruitment Specialist for the Technology and Applied Sciences department. He understands what new students coming in for the event want and need to see. “We not only have labs but we have interactive tables that the people can have some idea of what they’re going to go into,” Lopez said.
The displays even went out beyond the interior of the hallways this year to show off a program making its Open House debut. “If you look outside, you’ll see two semis and that’s brand new for us,” bragged Lopez.
Two semi-trucks (without trailers) were present to demonstrate the coursework one could expect to utilize when taking the new truck driving certification course. “It doesn’t get any newer than this,” quipped Peter Jelen, truck driving instructor. “We came here so the people can see that we are here. We’re having a great response today,” Jelen continued.
Another fresh addition to this year’s Open House was a new area of the campus that was open for exploration. The culinary program’s 6th Street Café, while not yet fully operational, welcomed visitors to chat about the retail end of the classwork. “The Open House is more about the program in general because the café isn’t open yet but we’re letting people know what we’re doing and what the labs are like,” said Emmalyn Kruger, a student of the baking and pastry arts program who volunteered to help out with the Open House. It’s a task that can come with a weighty responsibility. “Everyone comes in and says ‘I want to learn about the program.’ I ask them what they’d like to learn and they say ‘Everything!’” Kruger mused.
With new programs and areas cropping up throughout MATC, the Open House put on a lively and exciting display.