Jacob Ferina may become the College’s first rocket scientist. Not bad for someone who dropped out of school at 15, lost his job as a carpenter in his 20s and landed in basic skills classes at Madison College.

With an associate degree from Madison College, Jacob was accepted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and starts courses this fall in the College of Engineering. He hopes to work on robotics used in space exploration or perhaps satellite systems.

Jacob has a message for potential donors to the College: Without you, he still might be on the unemployment line.

"I don’t think I would be doing what I’m doing now if I hadn’t received this financial help (from scholarships),” said the recipient of the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke scholarship, Wisconsin’s All-USA New Century Scholar designation, the Madison College President’s Award and the Lussier Family scholarship.

"If I ever get my Ph.D. and start doing really well, I’m going to donate money to Madison College,” he said.