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For Jasmine Mendez, this was her high school experience, revealing an innate passion for technology and web design. From her early experiences in tech, Jasmine was shocked at the lack of female representation in the spaces she occupied, echoing the overall shortage of women in technology-related fields. Jasmine aspired to change the status quo and pursue her interest further, but was hesitant to apply to a four-year institution due to the high price tag.
“I knew I wanted to go to college, but I also knew that with my family’s financial situation, I needed to find a way to make it work with scholarships,” she recalls. “I also didn’t know how I would accomplish a four-year degree, especially since nobody in my family had that experience and I wouldn’t have someone to rely on for support.”
After her teachers and administrators encouraged her to apply to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and All-In Milwaukee, opportunities they highlighted as pivotal in advancing her career, Jasmine had one thing to say: “If I get accepted, I’ll go.”
It was only months later that she would finish her first semester of college with a 4.0 GPA.
The early success she experienced was largely due to the support provided by All-In Milwaukee. The mentor relationship Jasmine built with her scholar advisor, along with the internship placement support the program provided, were significant for her.
“All-In Milwaukee went above and beyond, and I didn’t anticipate the program to be this helpful to my education and career,” Jasmine said. “There were so many points during college where I questioned if it was worth it and if I should continue. My scholar advisor was instrumental, constantly reminding me to practice self-care and align myself with my purpose in school.”
— Jasmine Mendez, AIM scholar, UW-Milwaukee ‘24
Jasmine graduated with no debt from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a degree in information science and technology. She also secured a full-time position at Northwestern Mutual (NM) as a software engineer I with infrastructure and cloud services, a role earned after interning at the firm for three summers.
“Northwestern Mutual is proud to partner with All-In Milwaukee to support students like Jasmine during college and into their careers,” said Ray Manista, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Compliance Officer at Northwestern Mutual. “We have a tremendous need to deepen and broaden our pipeline of college-educated talent in this city and All-In Milwaukee is a key partner to close the talent gap. NM believes in and has made substantial investments in All-In, and roughly 10% of our interns will come through this program in 2024. We are proud to have four full-time All-In scholars starting with us in 2024. In addition to Northwestern Mutual supporting All-In Milwaukee scholars, I’m proud to say my family is also personally involved.”
On the cusp of a new beginning, Jasmine is already planning to return to her alma mater, Ronald Reagan High School, to help mentor young girls and expose them to careers and opportunities in tech. She is excited to share her wisdom to the same community that encouraged her to pursue her career at a four-year institution. She is also eager to introduce young students to All-In Milwaukee.
“All-In Milwaukee and Northwestern Mutual have done an amazing job at showcasing what we as students can do, what they can help us with and how we’re going to get there together and change Milwaukee,” Jasmine assured. “They gave me something I didn’t know I needed when I needed it most.”
All-In Milwaukee (AIM) is a college completion program that provides financial aid, advising, program and career support to high potential, limited-income, diverse Milwaukee students, helping them complete college, build meaningful careers and transform the Milwaukee community.
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