MATC student wins $2,500 STEM Forward scholarship

MILWAUKEE (June 9, 2022) –Shirley Aspinall, an MATC adult Promise student, was one of six Milwaukee area college students to win a $2,500 scholarship from STEM Forward .

Aspinall, 30, plans to finish her MATC classes in 2023 while dual-enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her career goal is to become a neurochemist, an expert who studies the flow of blood to the brain and how that flow – or lack of it – can affect personality and intellect.

“The instructors at MATC have really put me on the right path,” she said. “They have got us very familiar with instruments, labels and safety; walking us through the basics and building on that. I have received excellent support every step of the way.”

Aspinall was a 2010 high school graduate, but some health challenges forced her to take a break. Those same challenges also influenced her career choice. She saw an advertisement for the MATC Promise, a program that provides free tuition for eligible high school graduates and adults who have earned some college credits but have not completed a degree. Eligible students earn up to 75 credits of free tuition – after other scholarships and grants are applied.

In the Fall 2019 semester, Aspinall started classes at MATC’s Downtown Milwaukee Campus as an adult Promise student. Since then, Aspinall has been an honors student, participating in the Student Government Association and has worked as a teaching assistant to the speech communication department chairperson.

STEM Forward is a regional nonprofit, technical organization that provides and promotes educational outreach programs emphasizing STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. A scholarship program was established in 1939 after an anonymous donor contributed $6,000. Today scholarships are awarded to outstanding students enrolled in STEM-related programs at Milwaukee-area colleges and high schools.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.