WCTC School of Business

On May 7, 2024, the WCTC Marketing Program celebrated students, graduates, Collegiate DECA members, and alumni in the Richard T. Anderson Center. Ann Mack and the Experiential Marketing class planned and executed the entire event. Students developed the theme, set up, and managed all the details for the evening, along with all the engaging activities. They worked together to provide an exceptional event! The event highlights started with Erica Kaponya from the Harley-Davidson Museum, LLC. Erica shared her background and experiences in experiential marketing with a world-class company. Erica had the perfect keynote for this event and took the time to answer questions. Collegiate DECA members shared the annual overview and the value of their membership. We celebrated the program award winners, and graduates from the Marketing and Digital Marketing programs. Special Award Winners Sarah Duff - Marketing Program Award Kelsey Wegner - Digital Marketing Promotions Award Sara Jordan - Outstanding Club Member Collegiate DECA members Sara Jordan, Sarah Duff, Loudon Miner, and Bennett Plumb provided brief overviews of their past year in DECA and what's next for them. The program award winners and graduates received special WCTC-themed gifts. The extra, out-of-the-ordinary, and semi-frightening highlight was having a tornado warning interrupt the student-planned networking activity with the alumni and super door prize giveaway. The warning crashed our agenda, but we still had fun pulling door prize tickets in the back conference rooms and finishing off cupcakes waiting for the storms to pass. This is a resilient group, so we made the best of a strange situation. Thank you to everyone who attended and stayed until the end! A special thank you to Ann Mack and the Experiential Class for all their hard work and to Andrea Wolf, Jon Koch, Jim Nowak, and Megan Jones, MS for their support.  Tod Hemphill and the team from Aladdin Campus Catering provided the perfect dinner for the event. We truly appreciated the fabulous door prizes donated by Erica Kaponya, Chris Herek, and Emery Borgwardt along with the generous donations from attendees and alumni.  The event had over 80 attendees and raised $700 in donations which helped offset the costs of the evening. We ❤ the support of our alumni and it’s always so much fun to reconnect.  WCTC Marketing Program Alumni are the best! We plan to host the event again next spring with a new theme to celebrate! 🥂 Someone asked: "Who pays for the event?" The event is paid for through the Marketing Program Leadership Foundation account.  This account is funded by instructors, friends of the Marketing Program, and through event donations. Please contact Ed W. to learn more.

Congratulations, Class of 2024 graduates! 🎓 We can't wait to see all that you accomplish.

Congratulations to School of Business student, Bradley Wooten, winner of the Outstanding Student Award! A nontraditional student with a wealth of experience, Bradley W. has made an effort to maximize his college experience. Bradley already holds bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and this weekend, he completes his IT - Cybersecurity Specialist associate degree here at WCTC. If you’re at the morning commencement ceremony, you’ll have the pleasure of hearing him speak. He’ll be celebrating again soon when he completes a second associate degree, IT - Network Specialist, in December. Bradley’s dedication is evident in his 4.0 GPA and several honor society memberships, but it extends far beyond the classroom. “I’ve sought opportunities and created them, resulting in a transformative college experience,” he said. He has been officer, organizer and competitor for the WCTC Cybersecurity Team, competing in events like Hivestorm and National Cyber League, as well as serving as mentor and assistant coach for CyberPatriot, inspiring the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. If you’ve visited campus recently, Bradley may have been your tour guide. He has also served as a Student Government Association senator, a mentor to high school students in our Dual Enrollment Academy and Multicultural Engagement Center, a speaker on student panels, and an active volunteer both on campus and in the community. In his professional IT role at Husco, he’s able to immediately apply what he learns in class to his work. Bradley contributes valuable feedback as part of the WCTC's IT advisory committee, helping ensure that what we teach in the classroom reflects real employer expectations. “Being recognized for effort and time in serving others is a great feeling,” he said. “I am encouraged to further dedicate myself to making a positive contribution to our community and the broader field of cybersecurity.” Well deserved, Bradley! You have an incredible future ahead of you!

Susan Dragotta, LCB, CGBP plans an afternoon of hands-on learning for Supply Chain, Business, and Marketing program students in the spring. Thank you to Korey Garceau and Maria Magyar Cartier for your time providing WCTC students and staff with a comprehensive overview of the Port of Milwaukee! Attendees learned about the Port’s impact on local, state, national, and international business, and received a full tour of the entire port grounds.  A special thank you to Jeff Hawthorne, Supply Chain Advisory Member, for joining us and our friends at Jones Travel for driving our group.

Thank you to Michael Creed, CMPS for guest speaking yesterday at WCTC for a Homebuyer Seminar where students had the opportunity to learn about homeownership, building wealth, and the buying process! This event was organized and sponsored by The Real Estate Club led by Real Estate Instructor Jenny Wiktorek. This informative event had over 20 students in attendance from multiple different programs, including Hospitality, Interior Design, Business Management, Marketing, Real Estate, Construction Management, and more!

Summer Camps at WCTC are just around the corner! The School of Business will be participating in the Find My Future: Hands-on Career Exploration Summer Camp for High School Students. This exciting camp is open to all students entering grades 9, 10, 11 and 12. We only have a few spots remaining for our Business, Design, and IT tracks! If someone you know in High School is interested in one of these tracks, encourage them to attend and explore their interests through a variety of interactive sessions and discover new and exciting careers! Click the link for more information and to register: https://lnkd.in/gihJ-2jF

On April 18, WCTC School of Business held a Spring IT Career Day, which contained a full day of professional development for students! In the morning, students had the opportunity to get their resume reviewed by an industry professional and WCTC’s Career Connections staff. Following this, over 35 students attended guest speaker, Diana Rivera, MBA from Women in Technology Wisconsin (WIT), to hear about her professional experiences and the value and importance of mentorship. The day concluded with the most anticipated event for students, the IT Career & Internship Fair! We had over 90 students attend, and we hosted 10 employers and 2 professional organizations. Students were able to explore different career opportunities and gain experience interacting with employers. Thank you to all participating organizations, with special thanks to our Gold and Silver Sponsors: TopLine Results Corporation, CTaccess, Inc., TEKsystems, Third Coast IT, and MC Services. If you're interested in participating in future events, please reach out!