About thirty minutes north of Milwaukee, Grafton, Wisconsin was my home for twelve years. Living near the lake, Grafton is a meager town that holds a historical past that would surprise any out of towner. From summer parades, to Friday night football games, beautiful hiking trails, and even the annual Christmas parade, the prosperous community never fails to seek fun. New subdivisions are being built so more families can reside peacefully away from the robust, 414. On the other side of town, in a red, two story, multi family home is where I grew up. Up the concrete porch slab, and behind the grey and wood doors, was four rowdy kids and one stressed out, single mother. Eight years of screaming, crying, laughs, love and so much more were established in that home and will forever remain embedded into the popcorn, eggshell walls.
Off from our kitchen, we had a bathroom. No shower, just a toilet, a sink, and dire blue tile flooring. Anytime I walked into the bathroom, I started counting the rubber ducks on the wallpaper just to make sure another one didn’t appear. Oddly enough, it was my favorite bathroom. I remember one time as I was counting the last duck, my sister shouted from the kitchen, “Cassie! What do you want to go to college for?” My seven year old mouth rambled three majors, while counting on my fingers, “I wanna be an author, an illustrator, and a vet!” I had no idea what college was when I was seven, I just knew it was school, and I loved school. Under her breath, my sister mentioned to my mom that “you’re gonna be paying a lot for college.” and that was the end of that conversation. Until I got to high school, things started to change.
Author? No. Illustrator? Can’t draw. Veterinarian? I can’t do that to animals. So what do I do? I toggled majors in my head, not fully knowing what a major was until I became a junior in high school. Although I loved school, I didn’t know the difference between degrees, two and four year colleges, let alone what to expect about college. After graduating from middle school, my mom told me about the University of Wisconsin Washington County, which is a two year school. I loved Green Bay, and still do, and she talked about a transferring process to a four year school. I was still confused until I was about seventeen years old. Of the four kids, I’m the first to go to school and to get my degree. I didn’t know anything about college, I didn’t know what tuition really meant, how that got paid, nothing. After applying to Marquette University, I traveled off onto a different path than my original one from when I was fourteen and entering high school.
Throughout high school, my friends would say things like “oh Cassie, you would be a great teacher” and their parents agreeing. Voted “most likely to return to GHS as a faculty member” is something I wish I could write on a resume, because they weren’t wrong, even if my major wasn’t education. I had talked about becoming a teacher for a long time, but I was only directed to a higher paid job, like dentistry. Lasting only three days at Marquette, I quickly reverted back to my original plan.
University of Wisconsin Washington County, now UWM at WC has helped support my exponential growth into being not only the person I wanna be, but the future educator I can continue to grow and develop as. Not only do smaller class sizes help with one on one connection with professors and students, but the classes available to help first generation students become comfortable with to understand what the college level is like. Throughout my two years, I’ve been able to become comfortable with myself as I continue to meet new friends and professors, as well as work for my degree. Teaching is something I’ve wanted to do, and to feel the confidence from professors and counsellors as well as friends makes the time at UWM WC much more valuable and memorable. In high school, I felt as though I was trapped, and that becoming a teacher was the wrong thing to do. Until I moved my life to West Bend, and got a job down the road from school, have lifelong friends in the classroom over, and a school that respects and supports any student’s decision.
Change hasn’t always been easy for me. But coming to West Bend, from the tiny town north of Milwaukee, changed me for the better. To see my own passion for teaching enhance and to go out and experience the teaching field itself by observation and participation. University of Wisconsin Milwaukee at Washington County has given me the confidence I need to become a better person and to be confident in who I am and who I want to be after my time is done here.
The CGS Catalyst 