THE TEAM

Who We Are, Where We're From, Why We're Here

Meet the members of the ABHM - MSOE Honors Group!

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Noah Blue is majoring in Biomedical Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering. He is a member of the varsity men’s basketball team and the Vice President of the university’s German Club. In his free time he enjoys singing, backpacking, and playing sports. He is originally from Champaign, Illinois, and coming to Milwaukee has helped to reshape his perspective on living in a city. Having been given the opportunity to work with ABHM, his eyes have been opened to the historical and present racial and social issues that Milwaukee faces.

Reflection:

I was originally excited about the ABHM due to an African American Literature class that inspired me in high school. I originally had no involvement in museum curation, but I had an understanding for the material, a compassion for the people I would be serving, and ample experience in leading teams and planning events. As I have progressed through the Through One City's Eyes exhibit I continued to expand my knowledge of the African American struggle and the United States and I began to understand my original knowledge of racism in the US was somewhat truncated. I have learned to love living in the city, interacting with the local culture and people. I hope that the exhibit we have created has a positive impact on my new vibrant community and home.

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Matthias Winters is an Industrial Engineering student at the Milwaukee School of Engineering and a member of Marquette’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps.  His parents heavily encouraged him to be a servant leader in his church and high school, and those experiences have led him to serve through ROTC and MSOE University Honor’s community projects. Having grown up in relatively close proximity to Milwaukee, he is enjoying learning about the area he grew up in and striving to encourage positive change. Hoping to stay local in the long term, he looks forward to watching the city progress towards a better future.

Reflection:

I didn’t know what I didn’t know when it came to Milwaukee’s history with African Americans. Learning about red lining and the housing marches was eye-opening and I never would have heard about it without the Honors program. Coming in, I was expecting to build a park or do something in the physical realm, but we were able to help out our physical community by contributing virtually. This class was so much more than just memorizing formulas or learning theories. I knew I was helping others and I heard people's stories that made me understand their past and how it impacted their present.

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Adam Graham is an Honors Biomedical Engineering student at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He is currently a freshman at the school. Adam grew up in Naperville, a suburb about 45 minutes outside of Chicago, Illinois. He is involved with intramural activities as well as the varsity baseball team. After experiencing the comforts of suburban life, Adam decided to chase a different living experience, by living in a more populated city. He hopes to help make a difference in his community through informing others and causing social change.

Reflection:

The honors program gave me a different view on making a difference with my work. I had expected to help with the community physically, however, doing civil work with the museum gave me the same satisfaction with helping the community.

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Sean Brakeall is an Electrical Engineering major at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Having moved to Milwaukee from Oswego, Illinois, he has wanted to involve himself in the urban environment of Milwaukee in a way that addresses its real and present issues. In doing so, he has joined the MSOE University Honors Program in order to perform a servant leadership project in collaboration with classmates and America’s Black Holocaust Museum. Through this exhibit, he hopes to convey the importance of understanding the unjust causation of racial tension in the past as a means of procuring a brighter present and future.

Reflection:

Upon entering this program, I was looking forward to working with a community partner and involving myself in the Milwaukee community. I was very naive, however, due to the fact that I had no prior experience related to working on a project like this. After having worked on this project alongside my peers, I am proud of our contribution and have learned a lot from this experience. It is a great opportunity to use skills learned in the classroom to make a difference in your local community. 

Andrew Ramirez is a freshman Computer Engineering student at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.  He grew up in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, attending Whitefish Bay High School. He believes that living in the City and going to MSOE has given him a new perspective on Milwaukee, and the problems that it faces.  He hopes that his work with ABHM will help to address the social issues within the city.

Reflection:

Being an honors student at MSOE was a really eye-opening experience.  The honors program allowed for us to take a deeper dive into the issues Milwaukee is facing, and it gives us the tools to begin facing these problems head on.  I had a great time conversing with my fellow students, who all brought unique views and experiences to the table, and I would definitely recommend the program.

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Jack Haek is a double major Computer Engineering and Computer Science student at the Milwaukee School of Engineering and a part of the MSOE varsity basketball team. Jack lived in the state of Arizona for 18 years before he relocated to Milwaukee to attend MSOE. He says that a major part of what drew him to the college was the great city and the people who live in it. He has always found it important to give back to the community and hopes to give as much as he can while in the city of Milwaukee.

Reflection:

Coming into the MSOE Honors program I wasn't too sure what to expect, but I quickly realized the profound focus on helping the community and learning more about the city of Milwaukee. Being from the state of Arizona, it was very rewarding to me to be able to come to a new city and be able to involve myself right away and really integrate myself into the great culture of both MSOE and Milwaukee.

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Kyler Johnson is an Honors student at the Milwaukee School of Engineering studying Electrical Engineering. Having spent most of his younger years in the suburbs and countryside south of Green Bay, Wisconsin, the move to Milwaukee for his college education presented him with a look at the great challenges of the urban setting. One of his most deeply seated beliefs is that all people are created equal, and he is committed to informing folks of humanity’s past failures in the interests of a better future for all, especially those within his immediate sphere of influence within the City of Milwaukee.

Reflection:

There was a certain element of uncertainty that surrounded what I was getting myself into when I signed up to work with ABHM this year. I had no experience in museum curation and knew very little on the whole about African American history. Over the course of the nine months that have passed since that time, I have learned so much about the road the city of Milwaukee has traveled to get to where it is today. It is my sincere hope that the application of this newfound knowledge in ABHM's newest virtual gallery will make a positive impact as Milwaukee continues making its journey on the road to racial equality.

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Caitlyn Spreitzer is an Honors student at the Milwaukee School of Engineering studying Biomedical Engineering as well as a member of the softball team. Originally from Plainfield Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, moving to Milwaukee has allowed her the opportunity to learn about and get involved in changing the issues that affect urban life. Through her exhibit she hopes to bring to light some of the deeper-seated issues that affect the day-to-day life of the citizens of the City of Milwaukee.

Reflection:

Working with the ABHM through the MSOE Honors program this year has been an enriching experience. Throughout the year I learned not only more about African American history but also about the Milwaukee community as a whole. The virtual manner of the civic engagement in which we partook brought forth some interesting challenges, but overall I believe our work with the ABHM will have a positive impact on Milwaukee and the community around it.

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Tyler Gronert is a mechanical engineering student at the Milwaukee School of Engineering and a member on the MSOE Varsity Baseball team. Having grown up the majority of his life in Appleton, WI, Tyler wishes to learn more about the state. Attending school in Milwaukee is giving him the best opportunity to learn about the struggles that the city faces, and works towards fixing these problems. Tyler wished to remain in Wisconsin after college and wants to do anything he can so that his community can prosper.

Reflection:

When I first applied for the Honors program, I imagined that I would be designing and building some sort of physical space out in the community. It was a surprise at first when I learned I would be helping with a museums website. throughout the year I experienced new challenges and experiences that I didn't think I would get through the honors program.