Hands-On Transformation
John Molina Finds Career Direction and Purpose at WCTC
WCTC student John Molina’s path to Waukesha County Technical College has been anything but traditional. His late teens and 20s were a time, he describes, fraught with personal hardships, poor choices and stretches with “a lot of valleys.”
Rather than attending college or the military after high school in 2007, he took on unfulfilling low-wage jobs to pay the bills and later developed a substance abuse problem. After a few years, he enrolled in a psychology program at a local technical college to better understand himself and his addiction and mental health issues – but he didn’t finish his studies.
“Life got the best of me, and I dropped out,” he said.
Over the next several years, Molina navigated life’s highs and lows – connecting with a sales job that afforded him a nice car, a house and vacations – but because of his addiction, he lost it all. His marriage ended, he experienced periods of homelessness and he acquired a criminal record. He began to rebuild, working as a cook in high-end restaurants and going back to school, this time for culinary studies, but dropped out again due to bad decisions.
“(Addiction) will destroy you from within because it consumes you,” he said.
As he started to move forward, Molina got into a major car accident that nearly cost him his life. That, paired with serious legal issues, led to a reckoning: he became sober, found faith and moved in with family, determined to leave the past where it belonged. It also made him reflect on sacrifices his mother made for him. She came to the United States from Mexico while she was pregnant with Molina, in hopes of a better life and more opportunity for her son.
“The storms I survived weren’t meant to sink me. They were meant to teach me that where I was, was never my destination, only the ground from which I’d rise toward where I truly belong,” he said.
A Brighter Future
Since then, Molina has looked at his life through a new lens.
He learned about WCTC from a social media ad, visited the campus for a tour and left impressed with what he saw – and inspired at what he could become.
“I thought, ‘this is the one thing I want to be part of,’ and I couldn’t make it home fast enough to fill in that application and sign up,” he said.
Initially, Molina began in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program but realized he preferred fixing things and working with his hands. He changed direction and enrolled in the Metal Fabrication/Welding technical diploma as well as the Metal Fabrication/Welding-Advanced and Quality Management associate degree programs.
Since starting at WCTC in 2025, he has immersed himself in academics and student life. He has held leadership roles in the Student Leadership Council (SLC) and First Gen Club, was inducted into the Tri-Alpha Honor Society for first-generation students, participated in the mentorship program and was named to the dean’s list for the spring 2026 semester.
“Getting involved at WCTC has been a huge part of my experience. SLC, First Gen and Tri-Alpha have given me a different opportunity to connect with people and give back,” he said.
Hard Work, Recognized
Molina’s commitment to bettering himself and making the most of his education hasn’t gone unnoticed. Last fall, he was awarded a generous scholarship from the Marleh Lehmann Scholarship Fund, administered through the WCTC Foundation. It’s an honor, he says, that goes well beyond financial assistance.
“It represents somebody believing that I am worth investing in and that I have something to contribute,” he said. “When you’ve worked hard to change the direction of your life, having people recognize that effort is incredibly meaningful.”
While Molina’s second year of school is well underway, he also stepped into a full-time role as a maintenance mechanic at InPro. It’s an opportunity that’s allowing him to use his technical background and skills while continuing to learn and grow.
Looking back, Molina said he has worked hard to overcome darker times, and he is grateful to WCTC for being a large part of his second chance.
“My goal now is not just to build a better life for myself, but to build relationships, serve others and hopefully show somebody else that it’s never too late to change the direction of your life.”