Conference Enhances Career Skills for Local Teens

WAUKESHA – More than 60 students from schools in Milwaukee and Waukesha gathered Dec. 12 for a leadership conference at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha. They are participating in the Lead to Succeed program, which is conducted through the UW-Waukesha Pre-College program.

Students came from Milwaukee’s School for Urban Planning and Architecture, Brown Deer High School, Waukesha County 4H, Waukesha North High School, and the Waukesha Academy of Health Professions. They attended workshops on building career skills and networked with each other. Lori Radean, a representative from the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, gave the opening remarks, offering recognition for students who regularly attend Lead to Succeed meetings, are team players, and commit to the work of their projects.

The workshops addressed skills that businesses identified as important, with titles such as Getting the Job, Starting Now, Acing the Interview, Improving Your High School Experience, and more. Presenters included:

Dustin Nolan – Waukesha County Recycling

Steve Glynn – Spreenkler

Karin Gratz – CommUNITY Connections Consulting

Muhibb Dyer – Flood the Hood with Dreams

Wanda Harkins – Wells Fargo

Carrie Smith-King – Mount Mary College

Curtis Smith and Jessica Krieter – COMPASS Guide (Waukesha)

Lead to Succeed is a an industry-driven youth leadership development program in which high school and college students work on service-learning projects to support local non-profit organizations. It is designed to give students the skills that employers are seeking in their workers. The conference aimed to create excitement in building those skills.

Community members who would like to get involved with Lead to Succeed can contact Vena Namukasa at (262) 521-5218 or vena.namukasa@uwc.edu or Karin Gratz at (414) 456-1733 or kgratz@communityconnectionsconsulting.com.