Nearly two dozen MATC graduates begin careers as correctional officers
CBS 58 MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Graduations can mark the end of one journey and the start of another.
This morning, after weeks of training, more than a dozen people graduated from Milwaukee Area Technical College to begin their new careers as correctional officers.
Twenty-three names were read out loud Friday morning in downtown Milwaukee.
Twenty-three new correctional officers.
Kiyana Malone has been looking forward to hearing her name for weeks.
“You know, sometimes when life hits you, you feel weaker,” Malone said.
At graduation, this was Malone’s chance to take charge of her life.
“I wanted a career that empowered me and made me feel stronger,” Malone said.
For five weeks, Malone and the other graduates spent 200 hours training in everything from correctional law to emergency response and crisis intervention.
“I wanted to be able to have some control, not only of myself, but what would be a positive impact on the environment around me,” Malone said.
At the same time, Malone was also hoping to learn something else.
“Sometimes you get in a place where you feel stagnant, right? Life goes by really fast, and it’s like, am I growing?” Malone said.
Today, she’s got her answer.
“Real growth for me means making a difference, so I’m making a difference in myself and other people too, and somebody my daughter can be proud of,” Malone said.
Those graduates will now head to the Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center, the Racine County Sheriff’s Office and the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office to start their careers.
Malone is already looking beyond her first day on the job.
“I’m a corrections officer now. I can be a sergeant. I can be a lieutenant,” Malone said.
