Did you know how many different career opportunities there are in the field of Criminal Justice? Did you know that for the past 28 springs the MPTC Criminal Justice instructors have been hosting a Career Day to help students explore?

Students spend the day engaging in professional communications, networking, and participating in and observing mock interviews with community partners from: Fond du Lac, Washington, Dodge, Green Lake, and Winnebago County Sheriffs, Fond du Lac and Oakfield Police, State of WI Department of Corrections, and U.S. Probation. Criminal Justice Instructor Joan Barfield said, “The many available jobs and career opportunities in this high demand law, public safety, and security field can be confusing! This day is great with experiential learning for our students to get a clearer picture of all their choices so they can imagine success!”

Check out the Criminal Justice Associate Degree!

On March 28, Fond du Lac and Tri- County Boys and Girls Club teens in grades 5-11 were excited to meet and learn with Moraine Park Criminal Justice students!

Tri-County Boys and Girls Club Teen Futures Coordinator Carrie Govek said, “Our teens were given this great opportunity to participate in an interactive presentation done by the Criminal Justice students and their instructors at Moraine Park. They learned about criminal justice careers and professionalism.  They even got to try handcuffs, fingerprinting, and searching for contraband in a jail cell! What a fun learning experience for all those who participated!  A big thank you to the Moraine Park Criminal Justice students and their Instructors Joan Barfield and Jeff Gruss for providing our teens with a chance to learn about this important career.”

The Dream Big project started last year with Boys and Girls Club of Fond du Lac teens learning more about the over 100 careers available through MPTC.  This year, Dream Big is expanding throughout the MPTC district to include Boys and Girls Club of the Tri-County Area (Berlin, Green Lake County) and Boys and Girls Club of Washington County (West Bend).  This is a great community partnership opportunity for Moraine Park students to showcase their careers and practice service learning  and for Boys and Girls Club members to get excited about career choices!

There’s a scene in nearly every Disney movie that documents the joy of dreams coming true. Cinderella when she is reunited with her glass slipper, Hercules when he finally goes the distance to prove his place with the other Greek Gods, Arielle when she has both her voice and feet, and the unforgettable moment when Pinocchio finally becomes a real boy.

For Moraine Park student, Zach Stansbury of Fond du Lac, his Disney dream moment occurred late this summer when he was accepted into Disney’s College Internship Program .

Zach graduated from Fond du Lac high school in 2011 and immediately went into the workforce. After a few years, he decided to pursue a career in law enforcement, and in 2017, he enrolled in the criminal justice program at Moraine Park.

“I have had lots of support here at Moraine Park,” Zach said. “The College has shown me that they are willing to do whatever it takes to make my learning experience a successful one.”

Zach is a part of the College’s Edge program, a Student Support Services program that provides academic advising, study groups, cultural services, and many other resources for qualifying students. He also noted that the Student Success Center, in particular, has helped him significantly with his test taking and school work.

So where does Disney come into play?

“I’ve always had an interest in working at Disney,” Zach said. “The two most in-demand careers at Disney are security and custodial, and some internships turn into full hires. If I could be a part of the security team at Disney, that would be my ultimate dream job.”

There’s no denying that Zach belongs at Disney, his energetic personality, contagious smile, and fun sense of humor are all staples to the brand that Walt created. He is also a lifelong fan of all things Disney.

So, when the 2018 application window came open last January, he submitted his application and began the painful process of waiting. Well over 50,000 applications are submitted and only 18,000 are accepted into the program.

“I never thought it was a realistic option for me until my friend Anna went through the internship and encouraged me to apply,” Zach said.

Unfortunately, a few weeks later he found out his initial application was denied.

“It was disappointing,” Zach said. “I used it as a learning opportunity.”

He decided to study the application process some more and found how to improve his odds for the next time. One addition that Zach decided to include with his application was a video. He proceeded with a ‘go big or go home’ approach and chose Disney World in Florida as his filming location. His brother, Nicholas Stansbury, is a film director and traveled with him to help to create his video which he titled ‘Application Day‘.

When Zach reapplied on August 20, 2018, he included his video. This time, it only took three weeks to receive his acceptance letter. Of course, during that time frame, he encountered personality tests, questionnaires, a phone interview, and even more waiting.

Zach’s journey with Walt Disney World in Florida will begin on January 28, 2019, and we look forward to following his adventures. He is scheduled to return to Moraine Park next fall to continue his criminal justice degree. He will graduate May of 2020.

“We are so proud of Zach,” Kristine Buchanan, EDGE program adviser at Moraine Park said. “His ability to go to great lengths to achieve his dreams is admirable. I know he will do great things with this opportunity.”

We wish Zach the best of luck as he pursues his dreams at the happiest place on earth!

Watch Zach’s application video here.

As a fun side note, Zach also went to a casting call for Disney entertainers that was offered only to Disney College Program members. The Wisconsin auditions were held in Madison, and there were approximately 100 participants. It should come as no surprise that Zach was in the top four, and I have no doubts that he will be entertaining crowds at Disney someday.

Stay tuned for more updates on Zach’s journey. Until then, you can learn about Moraine Park programs and services like criminal justice or EDGE at morainepark.edu.

On April 24, 2018, Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club kids in grades 5-11 were excited to meet and learn with Moraine Park Corrections students!

Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club Director of Teen Services Dillon Wiese said, “Our teens were given the fun opportunity to participate in a presentation done by the Criminal Justice students from Moraine Park. They learned about careers in the police department, sheriff’s department, prisons and even about becoming a detective!  The Criminal Justice students brought “Bob”, handcuffs, and fingerprinting activities for Club teens to try out. What a great experience for all those who participated!  A big thank you to the Moraine Park Criminal Justice students and their Instructor Joan Barfield for providing our teens with a chance to learn about this important career.”

The idea for “Dream Big and Have Fun” began with the Moraine Park Technical College District Student Government President/IT Club Vice President, Phil Conley.  Phil was passionate about helping kids after volunteering with the IT Club internet safety project at Boys and Girls Club last year.  He had an awesome brainstorm to reach out to all the Moraine Park Clubs through Student Senate and make a plan for each one to visit the Boys & Girls Club to share some learning and fun from their programs/careers.  Clubs will be featured all throughout the months of March and April.  This is a great opportunity for Moraine Park students to earn service learning hours and for Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club members to get excited about future career choices!

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

Would you like to impact your community?

Do you need service hours to fulfill a requirement?

How about improving your resume?

Moraine Park Technical College is committed to community engagement and student success. The College supports these commitments through the opportunity for students to participate in service learning and apply their classroom knowledge to an applicable, real world environment.

The Service Learning Award is an Moraine Park recognition program designed to acknowledge students who are committed to serving their community.

Students who complete 50 to 100 hours of service learning during their time at Moraine Park will receive this award. All students who log their hours and share a reflection will receive an Moraine Park Service Learning Silver Award for 50 hours of service or a Gold Award for 100 hours of service.
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Wisconsin Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Jon Litscher joined Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, State Representative Michael Schraa, leaders from Moraine Park Technical College, and guests on Tuesday, June 27 to celebrate the inaugural graduation ceremony for inmate workers completing the Dairy Worker Training Certificate.

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Joseph St. Antoine is a prime example of what perseverance, drive and determination can lead to, even if you grow up in a difficult environment. Here’s the ups-and-downs of Joseph’s journey, in his own words:  
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Are you a single parent seemingly juggling the world, but still hoping to get a degree? You can do it. And Meghan Tarantino, a 2017 graduate of Moraine Park, is proof! Here’s Meghan’s story, in her own words:
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Through Moraine Park Fair Trade College education efforts, IT and Corrections Club students are helping youth “Stay out of Traffic.” The anti-trafficking initiative began this past October when over 130 participants gathered at our Fond du Lac campus for “Make Fond du Lac a Traffic Free Zone.” This event was designed to bring awareness to the crime of trafficking in people for sex or labor globally, nationally, statewide and locally.
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