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Saturday, December 13, 2014

Lead To Succeed Meetup #4 Final Meetup of the Semester

We had the last Meet Up of the semester today, and it was awesome! 

The day started with a Resume and Interview workshop designed to get students prepared for their next requirement - submitting a polished resume and participating in a Mock Interview with a professional community volunteer! 


After the workshop, Terri Salzer from Milwaukee Public Schools came in to talk to Lead to Succeed participants about all the great MPS apprenticeship opportunities available to them in their Junior and Senior years at MPS schools.  Terri has already received some follow up e-mails from students anxious to get started in pursuing an apprenticeship!


During lunch, the Meet Up Award for highest Lead to Succeed points earner was awarded to hard-working Marquan Whitelaw from Bayview High School.  Congratulations again, Marquan.  You certainly deserve that $50 Amazon gift card - we hope you enjoy it!



After lunch, students headed to the School of Freshwater Science, where they got a stellar tour of the building from Director of Development Eric Leaf.  They head all about what it takes to get into the School of Freshwater Science as a graduate student.  Plus, the students got to see all the amazing work in progress with fish, underwater ROVs, Quagga Mussels, you name it!  They even got to board the School of Freshwater Science's research vessel, the Neeskay! 


Marquan, winning the Meet Up Award

 Students viewing the fish breeding laboratories

  
 Students checking out the under water ROVs


Aboard the Neeskay! 

Monday, December 8, 2014

Lead To Succeed Meetup #3

An action packed Meet Up today for Lead to Succeed participants!  The day began with a continental breakfast at the Lead to Succeed office, where Jhon Polanco from Bradley Tech High School was awarded the $50 Amazon gift card Meet Up Award for having the most Lead to Succeed points - of any student in the program!  Congratulations, Jhon. 

After breakfast, students visited the Oak Creek Campus of Milwaukee Area Technical College, where they went on a tour that highlighted the trades and apprenticeship opportunities available in the region.  Thank you to  Nick Triscari for the great tour and presentation.  

After that, students headed to the Global Water Center.  At the GWC, they heard from Elizabeth Thelen, Director of Entrepreneurship and Talent at The Water Council on many of the ways "Water is an Opportunity!" Then, the students took a tour of the Global Water Center and met many of the entrepreneurs and water business leaders located in the building.  Immediately following the tour, volunteers from the Water Council Student Chapters - UWM School of Freshwater Science, Whitewater, and Marquette - had a panel discussion with the students followed by small group Q&A.  The topic?  "Why a Career in Water and Why STEM Studies May be Right for You!"  A big thanks to Elizabeth and all the Water Council Student Chapters for making this event possible.  

To finish the day, students headed to AO Smith to learn just what it's like being an inventor in a water business.  The students heard a fascinating overview of AO Smith - history, products, and forward thinking approach to doing business in water.  In a grand finale, students were able to tour several of AO Smith's product development labs, where they saw cutting edge water heater development in progress!  Special thanks to Ron Bartos, Jason Scott, and Steve Memory for volunteering your valuable time to show students around AO Smith.  


"I honestly don't know what part of the day was the best.  All of it was so interesting.  I am interested in all these jobs." - JW, Lead to Succeed Participant at the
Boys and Girls Club Site 



Meet Up Award winner Jhon with his Site Manager, Evan Sandherr

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Lead to Succeed Meetup #2

Another amazing Lead to Succeed Meet Up - check!  Today, Lead to Succeed students trekked to Marquette University, where the Marquette chapter of Students for Educational Reform (SFER) hosted a College Application Lab day exclusively for LTSers!  College students from Madison, UWM, and Marquette teamed up to execute an action-packed, super-valuable lineup of activities, including:

  • Speaker on how to select a post-secondary pathway
  • Speaker on tips and tricks on college admissions processes  
  • Small group Q&A sessions with college students
  • Panel discussion on what to expect from college with a diverse array of panelists, including alumni, ROTC scholar, leadership from cultural diversity groups on campus, and more! 
  • College selection and application work time in a computer lab at Marquette - each high school student guided by a volunteer college student

Special thanks to Marquette SFER leaders Luke Krajcik and Sarah Hartman for spearheading this event.


Last but not least, congratulations to Shanice Moore from Washington High School for receiving the Meet Up Award for earning the most Lead to Succeed points - of all students in the program!  Shanice, we hope you put that $50 Amazon gift card to good use. 


Lunchtime!

Panelists answering questions on post-secondary life, scholarships, admission processes, and more

Group photo with panelists


Saturday, November 15, 2014

Lead to Succeed Meetup #1

Lead to Succeed Meet Ups had an awesome kickoff today.  Students gathered in the Lead to Succeed office in the morning, and parents were invited to join them for a continental breakfast.  Petra Duecker, Director, did a brief overview of Lead to Succeed for the parents, highlighting college and career readiness activities and service learning goals.  Then, the students headed over to UWM's School for Urban Planning and Architecture, where they heard from renowned professor Nancy Frank.  Professor Frank's talk was focused on water infrastructure in Milwaukee, and why water is so critically important in the region.  After SARUP, the students walked to the admissions office at UWM, where they learned about some of the things to consider when picking a college.  The day wrapped up with a tour of UWM given by UWM students.  

Bryson Rome-Martin from Destiny High School received the big Meet Up award for earning the most Lead to Succeed points - of all the students in the program!  His prize?  A $50 Amazon gift card.  

Monday, October 27, 2014

Lead to Succeed Kickoff Conference

This weekend is our official 2014 LTS kick off Conference that will be held on November 1st 2014 at the University of Milwaukee in Lubar School of Business.  Festivities start at 12:30 and goes until 4:30, we invite you to come and enjoy a day full of interesting people and activities, below is the schedule and we encourage you all to come and enjoy the conference.

2014 LTS Kick Off Conference
November 1, 2014 from 12:30-4:30
UW-Milwaukee Lubar School of Business

12:30 YOUR STRENGTHS
            12:30 Registration & Lunch
12:40 Strengths Mural Activity
12:50 Conference Called to Order
12:55 Showcase Strength Mural Tiles

1:00 YOUR FUTURE
1:00 UWM Welcome on behalf of CCBLLR – Samantha Bickert
1:05 Lead to Succeed Alumna – Elizabeth O’Hara

1:30 YOUR COMMUNITY  
            30 Minute Rotations:
            Citizenship Workshop
            World Café Session  
            Leadership & Team Building Workshop

3:00 Tweet & Snack Break

3:15 YOUR CAREER
            30 Minute Rotations:
                        Industry Scavenger Hunt  
                        Personal Branding – Accenture

4:15 YOUR TEAM
            The Big Picture - Karin Smith, President of CCC Board of Directors

4:30 YOU’RE READY!


Friday, October 24, 2014

Students and College Project Managers are Excited to Get Things Going.

Our college project managers and students have finally meant and finished their first sessions together.  They are all very excited to get the ball rolling and start on their projects for the semester.  Here are a few blog posts from our CPM's about their experience while meeting their students for the first time, and a little of what they have learned.



The first session with our project team went great! everyone worked together, was respectful and put in effort towards group activities and communication! I was surprised to see even a medium amount of enthusiasm just because I know how hard it is to be a high school student and usually wanting to focus on friends and fun rather than putting in the extra hour of learning and group work.  So far I don't see any weaknesses, but I see many strengths including the use of good communication, respect, and participation.
-Leah Gazinski

I was pleasantly surprised with how much the students wanted to work on this project. They were all focusing and participating. They were very excited about the opportunity for a job. I believe that one of their strengths is that most of them are determined to focus and do well on their project. I believe that their weakness is the few students who do not feel the need to participate. They do not pay attention and even attempt to distract the other students,
-Brianna Seybold


I have found that the water industry, especially in Milwaukee, is currently booming. There are new job opportunities in research and innovation. Due to the enormous fresh water Lake Michigan provides us, we have the opportunity to potentially increase economic and resource production/preservation. The more jobs we can create and the more innovation we can inspire, the more we can improve current living situations for those around us and preserve this precious and valuable resource.
- Jacob Herzfeld

This past week at our third meeting there were quite a few more kids! Some did have to leave for Drivers Ed about half way through but while they were there, they were excited about being in the program and the opportunities Lead to Succeed has to offer. We played a game where we had to write things that we needed water for and had to place the sticky notes that we had written on, on one of the three boards. They said, “used to make things, used for fun, and used for health.” The kids as well as the college project managers came up with a lot of good ideas for each board.

The one with the least was “used to make things.” The next game we played that introduced water was a guessing game. Justin showed us a picture of an object and we had to guess individually how much water it took to make that object. There were a lot of surprised looks when we found out the correct answers! It was fun because it got us interacting with the kids and made us feel more comfortable with each other. I look forward to next week when we start an art project with the kids and start diving into our ideas for our final project at the end of the year!
- Karen Linhart


This weeks meeting was full of surprises! I was able to start our meeting off with an icebreaker to get the students interacting in teams. With the attendance turn out for this week I was able to have two large teams compete in a “throw a marshmallow into your teammate’s mouth contest!” This was AWESOME! The kids loved it and we were able to discuss strategies and reflect on how each team communicated together.

After the icebreaker, the fun continued! The students then interacted with each other in smaller groups to play the price is right: Water Edition! The students and I were all surprised to see how important water is in our daily lives. You could see the shock on their faces when they found out that you need water to make just about everything around them; cars, books, and even the plastic chairs they were sitting on!  Many students were even making their own examples on how they use water everyday in unfamiliar ways to the class that went outside the box of just using it to shower and brush their teeth in the morning. The students are eager to see what will come in the next few weeks and to learn more about the impacts on water around them.

- Melissa Palmen

Friday, April 4, 2014

The students and managers are putting the finishing touches on their projects

The semester is coming to a end, our college project managers and students are getting the finishing touches done on their projects and we all are excited to see what they come up with.  Reading through these particular blogs you can see that many of the managers had a few challenges that they had to overcome and the experience that they have had thus far with their students.  We are extremely excited to see what students come up with and how much everyone has learned not only about water but also about themselves.

“My experiences with Lead to Succeed has impacted my understanding with water. I am now more informed on what is happening around me. I didn't really think about stuff that goes on with water. I go to the grocery store buy a pack of water and didn't realize that I am spending more than I realized. Water that you get from home is cheaper than the water that you buy at the store. Also, the difference between the two has no difference in quality. Your water at home actually may be better for you in general. These are just some things that I have learned from my group. 
My project has one step left and will be complete. They have finished their slide show and are waiting for a group member to upload their voices in the slide show. So, one step left and their slide show on water will be complete. The challenges that we face in Lead to Succeed is not how the project is turning out but whether or not people will show up. People in the groups have jobs or other activities with school that sometimes derail them from going to Lead to Succeed. That is why it is always helpful that when you are in the groups you know what is happening with every part in the project so when someone is gone it might be your turn to step up and solve the problem within the group. Instead of waiting til so and so shows up again. 

Everyone in the group is great. They are regulars that are always there day in and day out. I feel that my group worked hard on their project. Each person knew what their job was and all got together to get the project done. I do not have a particular but I have the group as a whole. I feel that with out each other in the group they probably would not have gotten as far as they did. Each person had a role and fulfilled their role perfectly. I feel that my group should be happy with what they have accomplished and not giving up on their goal of finishing what they started. Great job!”

-Joel Guidinger


At the Wisconsin Conservatory for Lifelong Learning, there are two projects being worked on. One, a board game, is a presentation for elementary school students, while the other, an animated video, is a presentation for middle school students.

The board game group, which I am working with, has pretty much completed the game. It’s put together well, and we ran through it at the last session to make sure everything runs smoothly (it does). My experience with this group is not having much of an impact on my understanding of water issues in Southeastern Wisconsin. Many of the trivia questions are things I already knew (water cycle, what water is used for, etc.) but this is to be expected as the game is for third grade students.

I plan on watching the animated video that the other group has made, and I have a feeling that that will give me a better understanding of water issues in the area. I believe that group has completed their video, but as I haven’t been working with them, I have not yet had the chance to view it. There’s been a drastic change in attitude from mid-February (when I began working with the students) to now (beginning of April). There has been a great increase in productivity, which can be attributed to their projects taking shape and actually having specific goals for each student and each session in general. The next session is not for three more weeks, as the Conservatory is now on spring break.”

-Nick Lister


“This week we have spring break so we do not meet this week. But as the weeks have been flying by we have accomplished a lot in our projects. As the semester is coming to an end, our attendance at the beginning of the semester was not very high, but lately we have had great attendance in our after school program. It is such a great feeling that our numbers are high again and our student's are participating! It makes myself feel great because, it shows they enjoy our presence and being here. Our projects are coming a long well and our student's have been very hard working and have accomplished a lot! 

This service learning site has been very fun and very interesting. We are not only teaching our student's but they are also teaching us. We have learned all about water, careers with water, and sanitation processes in Milwaukee because of all the use of water. A majority of time we all don't realize how much water we are using. This service learning project is very unique because people don't realize how many galloons of water you use each and every day!
I really enjoy these kids and this service learning project!  It has been a great experience and a blessing to help these kids!

-Mercedes Brown



“Unfortunately, we have not reached the water topic in my Environmental Science class at UWM. We will be starting that unit in the next week or so. In the past I have learned a lot about water the different ways it can impact our environment, so I’m not learning too much with this project. But, I’ve never really had to focus on the different types of water bottles and where the water comes from. In the beginning of this project the students did some research on water bottles such as FIJI, Smart Water, Ice Mountain and Dasani, and surprisingly some of the information they researched was new to me. Overall, this project has been pretty informative in ways I was expecting it to be.
The art part of the project has been a little challenging because it’s taking time to paint bottle caps and glue them onto a poster. Whenever you work with paint and a time limit, things can get pretty tough but the students I’ve been working with have been outstanding. Honestly, they stay focused throughout the hour and a half, and continue to socialize with me and the other students. They all work really well together and don’t argue about who wants to paint, who wants to research, and who wants to glue. Since they all work as a team, this certain challenge hasn’t been a big problem at all!
Most of the students are from different schools, and they’re different age groups so some of the students themselves were meeting each other for the first time. With that being said, they’ve been getting to know each other and they find things in common which brings them closer. I’ve been working with the art project and the research part, so I’ve been talking to different students each time. I would rather try to get to know different students in the short time I have because they’re all so different and I’ve never worked with this type of group before. But, on the other side of things, I have connected a little bit with the other mentor who also goes to UWM. We’re in the same science class so we get to talk about our projects, tests, and assignments. She’s easy to talk to and that makes the session even better. ”
-Rudi Hauser