Yearning to Help
Christine Brunner Finds Fulfillment in Funeral Service

When a close friend's brother committed suicide, Christine Brunner felt helpless. She desperately wanted to do something to help the family cope with its terrible loss. "Being there for them just wasn' enough for me," Brunner says. A couple of years later, she was flipping through employment ads and saw openings for funeral directors. "Suddenly, it hit me that I wanted to do that."
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International Feast
Karen Bell Takes California Cuisine to Madrid

In the center of Madrid, Spain, residents and tourists feast on culinary creations by Whitefish Bay's Karen Bell. The 1998 MATC graduate in Culinary Arts opened the small restaurant called "Memento" in January 2006. The secret of its customer appeal lies in an ever-changing menu, using seasonal produce painstakingly selected on a daily basis by Bell herself.

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White Hot
Matt Karshna Rises to Top of
Snow-Sculpting World 

Trained in the mid-’90s at MATC as a computer graphic artist, graduate Matt Karshna is now internationally known for his artistry in snow. Karshna went to the Winter Olympics in February as part of the U.S. snow-sculpting team. He and two teammates carved a graceful, twisting abstract work, titled Aeternus (“eternal”), from a block measuring 1,000 cubic feet. 

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Study in Determination
Teacher Trainee Beats Odds

She loved being a medical assistant. Then life threw a curve at Danette Johnson. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Johnson was told she no longer was capable of doing her job. Although she carried on gamely for two more years, she eventually had to quit and go on disability pay.

Johnson could not be held down for long, however. She embarked on a new career as a high school English teacher through the Cooperative Urban Teacher Education Program at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

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World-Wired
Mike Rohde Serves Global Clientele

You never know where on earth an MATC degree might lead. For 1989 Commercial Art (Graphic Design) graduate Mike Rohde, it led to colleagues and clients in Germany, Spain, France and Ireland. Rohde creates corporate logos, Web sites, Web applications and business blogs for firms around the world, working from his home office in Wauwatosa.

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Fast FORWARD
Gosia Zimowska Living Her Dreams

Polish immigrant and Milwaukee Area Technical College honors graduate Gosia Zimowska scrubbed toilets in her first job in the United States. It was light years away from her vision of life in the land of plenty. But she went on to live the American dream.

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Wide-Ranging
Multitalented Writer, Photographer Finds
Unique Niche

When Larry Widen left a thriving career in advertising to become a freelance writer, it was a gamble, but he hit the jackpot in terms of making a self-reliant living doing what he loves. “I’ve always been a writer; now I’m dedicating myself to it,” says the 1980 Photography graduate. “I’m working harder than I ever have in my life. This past year I proved to myself I can do it full time.”

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Twist of Fate
Police Ride-Along Kindled Chief’s Career

Riding along in a Waukesha County Sheriff’s squad car one night changed Ann Wellens’ life forever. The high school senior had her mind set on becoming an accountant or a veterinarian. An assignment to investigate any career that did not interest her turned those notions inside out. 

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From Scratch
Duo Cooks Up LuLu

Their futures converged in the Culinary Arts program at
Milwaukee Area Technical College. Sarah Jonas was ready for a culinary education. Cameryne Roberts was a refugee from corporate life, in search of something more fulfilling. A partnership began that led to a trendy, thriving restaurant-bar in Bay View. Rooted in the neighborhood, it’s the sort of eclectic joint where everyone fits in, whether you’re a hipster, a working person, a grandmother or a professional in a suit.

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