Wisconsin

Former foster child becomes Wisconsin Youth Advisory Council vice president

Published

5 months ago

December 27, 2025

Former foster child becomes Wisconsin Youth Advisory Council vice president

Angel Shelton never imagined herself holding a leadership position as she spent her teen years in the foster care system in Milwaukee. Now, at 20, she’s the new vice president of Wisconsin’s Youth Advisory Council, hoping to advocate for the needs of foster youths.

The Wisconsin Youth Advisory Council began in 2005 and consists of current and former youths in foster care who work with government officials to advocate for foster youths in the state.

“I wasn’t planning on running for this position,” Shelton said. “I guess God had other plans for me.”

Issues she plans to highlight as vice president include the need for improved transportation, more social workers, increased support and expectations for foster parents, and more mental health resources.

She became acutely aware of foster youths’ needs before and during her time in foster care.

“When we do get a little support, we have to put our foot on the gas to get it fully,” Shelton said.

Entering a life-changing program

At 16, Shelton met Christine Woods, independent living supervisor at Wellpoint Care Network, who placed her in supervised independent living at 17.

“Ms. Woods was like an angel that walked up to me and opened all the doors to my journey,” Shelton said.

Woods later encouraged her to participate in Youth Transitioning to Adulthood, a program that supports youths aging out of foster care by assisting with education, employment, housing, health and care connections.

While in the program, Woods made Shelton feel secure and introduced her to new opportunities, like becoming a secretary and vice president of the program.

Woods said she admired Shelton’s vulnerability and acceptance of constructive feedback and encouraged her to become a member of the Wisconsin Youth Advisory Council.

“In the beginning, Angel was shy, and now she’s just out there, and I think it’s because she knows people are listening,” Woods said.

After a year of serving as vice president of the local Youth Advisory Council and filling other roles, Shelton delivered an impromptu speech for a seat on the Wisconsin Youth Advisory Council and won all the votes to become vice president.

“Her speech was a standing ovation,” Woods said.

Becoming vice president marked Shelton’s latest step in leading efforts to improve the lives of youths in foster care.

Providing better transportation services

As a leader on the Wisconsin Youth Advisory Council, Shelton is prioritizing transportation services.

She remembers being late for school each day and knows there are many foster youths with mental health challenges or disabilities that struggle with transportation.

Also, in a conversation with a peer, she was made aware that some youths aren’t given enough funds to take public transportation.

A call for social workers

Although Shelton had a supportive social worker before aging out, she knows all foster children don’t have the same experience.

She hopes to push for more compassionate social workers who will spend more time with the youths.

“They need to understand that we don’t have parents to call on, so we need more social workers who will be present and hands-on,” she said.

Shelton wants social workers to check in with children weekly and in person, instead of once a month.

“I see both ends of the stick between young people and other people of authority like social workers and the system, but I want them to understand how we feel,” she said.

Improving support for foster parents

Another goal of Shelton’s is for foster parents to participate in workshops that provide proper training and expectations for their role, like providing youths with hygiene products, laundry bags and more.

“I want this to be a mandatory workshop where they’re held accountable,” she said.

Shelton hopes the workshop reminds individuals that youths should be treated with dignity.

“With some foster parents, once you transition out of their house, they are going to put your things in bags and out,” Shelton said.

While living in a group home for two weeks, Shelton noticed a lack of hygiene products as well.

“I ended up telling somebody that I couldn’t live like this, and that’s when I was switched over to my own place,” she said.

Supporting mental health

Losing a friend to suicide motivated Shelton to open up about proper care for mental health.

Her goal is to provide more mental health services for at-risk individuals who are 12 to 19.

“Certain feelings are so normalized now, that some don’t even realize they’re battling something,” Shelton said.

Woods says Shelton can utilize Wellpoint Care Network’s mental health services to link individuals to different forms of therapy like art, music, games and other outlets.

To ensure every voice can be heard, Shelton said the council will be creating a TikTok account that posts every day in 2026.

The posts will feature videos from foster youths, parents, staff and professionals asking questions, and the council responding with answers.

“I wanted to create a different system nationwide for everybody, not just (Youth Transitioning to Adulthood),” Shelton said.

Angel Shelton (middle left) and Christine Woods (middle right) sit with Wellpoint Care Network’s 2025 former foster youth panel. (Photo provided by Rachel Frye)

Watching her sister shine

Seeing Shelton in a leadership role didn’t surprise her oldest sister, Desirae Shelton, but hearing she won vice president brought her to tears.

“She is living proof that where you come from doesn’t define where you will go,” Desirae Shelton said.

She admired how her sister carried pain but turned it into purpose as she grew more confident and willing to speak up for herself and others.

“I just want Angel to make youth feel seen and supported,” she said. “I hope she brings attention to what kids go through emotionally.”

Plans for the future

In May, during Foster Care Awareness Month, Shelton will lead an annual mental health panel for the council, professionals, foster parents and relatives to discuss their lived experiences, needs and other topics.

An Avenues West resident and nursing student at the Milwaukee Area Technical College, Shelton plans to become a nurse practitioner or a professional in the mental health field.

In the next few years, she also wants to start a nonprofit that provides mental health services and a group home for at-risk teens.

“Whether I’m helping people in foster care or the juvenile system, mental health is at stake for both,” she said.

For more information

You can learn more about the work of the Wisconsin Youth Advisory Council by attending its monthly meeting. They’re held every second Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Wellpoint Care Network, 8901 W. Capitol Drive.

Individuals who are interested in becoming a part of Youth Transitioning to Adulthood can click here to register for its monthly mandatory orientation.

Here’s an NNS story that highlights the challenges of finding homes for children in foster care.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin National Guard troops return after yearlong deployment in Middle East

Published

8 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin National Guard troops return after yearlong deployment in Middle East

APPLETON, Wis. — More than 200 Wisconsin National Guard troops are back home this weekend.

The troops based out of Appleton returned on Friday after a deployment throughout the Middle East for more than a year.

What You Need To Know

Wisconsin National Guard troops returned home on Friday after a yearlong deployment in the Middle East

Staff Sgt. Ryan Hayes said seeing his family again after being gone for so long was amazing

Major General Matt Strub, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, said troops’ mission included conducting security operations in nine different countries

He said they also took part in the largest transfer of enemy prisoners of war in Central Command history

Members of the Wisconsin National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment were treated to a warm welcome home by family and friends at Appleton Flight Center.

Staff Sgt. Ryan Hayes said seeing his family again after being gone for so long was amazing. He said it was especially emotional reuniting with his daughters and his 3-year-old son.

“It was kind of… honestly, kind of tear-jerking a little bit. I was trying to hold… It was hard to hold it back, you know? It’s hard to watch him grow through a phone, you know?” Hayes said.

Major General Matt Strub, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, said troops’ mission included conducting security operations in nine different countries.

He said they also took part in the largest transfer of enemy prisoners of war in Central Command history.

“How long they serve depends on the individual. But this was just a normal one-year rotation into the Middle East to just provide that security that the U.S. needs in the region. During the time they were gone, Operation Epic Fury kicked off. Their mission changed slightly, but still to provide security for the region,” he said.

Gov. Tony Evers was on hand to welcome the troops back to Wisconsin.

Strub said the celebration on Friday was well-earned and well-deserved.

“When they see the fire cannons, the water cannons, when they see the families with the balloons and signs, it’s truly… The joy swells up. The emotion of being gone wells up. You really just feel like you’ve… You’re welcomed home in a positive way,” he said.

Hayes said he felt blessed to be back home with his family.

“I feel really good to be home, be with my kids, another deployment under my belt. That just puts everything into perspective, like how lucky we are back here in the United States to have what we have and be able to have this,” he said.

This group of soldiers worked as part of the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility. They worked alongside NATO partners before wrapping up their deployment.

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Wisconsin

Apprenticeship meant to ease Wisconsin’s teacher shortage ‘stalling’

Published

20 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Press Room

Apprenticeship meant to ease Wisconsin’s teacher shortage ‘stalling’

Miranda Dunlap
| Wisconsin Watch

Matthew Jacobson found his calling in middle school history class.

As a sixth grader at St. John Vianney Catholic School in Brookfield, he voluntarily completed additional research projects and jumped at the chance to present to his classmates. He never saw the extra assignments as work — he was having fun. When Jacobson’s teacher told him he’d make a great educator himself, he set his sights on the profession. In high school, he participated in Elmbrook School District’s future teachers program and planned to enroll in university for his teaching degree.

But life had other plans. Several weeks before his high school graduation, Jacobson was forced to move out on his own. He picked up a cooking job to “pay the bills and survive.” The gig didn’t leave extra money or time for college.

“I didn’t really know how to get back into college and go meet my dream,” Jacobson said.

Two years later, he heard about a novel apprenticeship program, where future teachers earn money working in schools as they obtain their education and certifications.

“I was like, ‘That’s my way back in,’” he said.

State officials launched the program in 2024 to ease the educator shortage by offering students an alternative route to the profession — one where they don’t have to put their careers on pause while racking up student debt. Jacobson is one of the first eight teacher apprentices.

Today, Jacobson has returned to Elmbrook to serve as a classroom aide. In two years, he’ll have the proper training for the district to hire him as an elementary or middle school teacher.

But as participants reach the program’s halfway point, its future beyond this initial “pilot” phase is unclear — raising questions about whether apprenticeships will become a viable solution to Wisconsin’s struggle to find and keep educators.

While the route has been life-changing for students like Jacobson, program leaders are having trouble enticing school districts to take on more apprentices. Enrollment has ground to a halt; the two technical colleges involved don’t have any new students signed up to begin in the fall.

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development officials say whether the program continues or grows depends on if districts get on board and sponsor trainees to join up. But district leaders say a major hurdle is the cost — a key appeal of an apprenticeship is the employer paying them for the time they spend learning, but many public schools are already strapped for cash. Some want more funding tied to the program.

“(It’s) stalling a little bit,” said Trent Sorensen, a Fox Valley Technical College dean. “We don’t have any (students) coming in for the fall. … There’s plenty of time, but it’s not taking off like it did in other states, and it’s simply because of the funding.”

A new way to train teachers

Wisconsin schools struggle to find enough teachers needed to lead classrooms — a problem largely fueled by poor retention and new workers moving to other states after graduating.

In 2024, Congress came through with some assistance: $570,000 in federal funds earmarked for establishing a teacher apprenticeship program in Wisconsin.

Officials from DWD, the Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Technical College System, and two universities teamed up to debut the pilot in January 2024. They praised the “earn-while-you-learn” approach to establishing a pipeline of workers: Districts could guarantee they’d have future teachers, while also filling lower-skilled jobs in the meantime.

Typically, aspiring teachers work a shorter classroom internship while studying for their bachelor’s degree and then complete a semester of student teaching after graduating. The apprenticeship is “taking that entire approach and flipping it on its head,” said Nick Abbott, senior program and policy analyst at the Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards — creating a potentially more accessible path to the profession.

“Traditional educator preparation programs can be expensive, as they often require unpaid student teaching, which might not be feasible for low-income students, nontraditional students or individuals looking to change careers,” Gov. Tony Evers said when the program launched. “The new teacher apprenticeship pilot program will help address issues in turnover and retention, reduce barriers and encourage young people to enter the field.”

Apprenticeships are becoming more common in Wisconsin in fields ranging from plumbing to nursing. Participation has hit record highs for the last four years. These gigs are far more common for hands-on jobs in the skilled trades than fields like education and health care, but that’s changing with initiatives like the teacher apprenticeship program.

Here’s how it works: A school district hires an apprentice, who enrolls at Fox Valley Technical College or Waukesha County Technical College for two years to complete a Foundations of Teacher Education associate’s degree. When finished, the student transfers to Lakeland University or the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County to finish a bachelor’s degree.

Throughout those roughly four years of schooling, the apprentice works inside the classroom as an assistant for 32 hours each week and spends eight hours a week learning at college. The school district the person works for pays an hourly wage for those 40 total hours. When apprentices finish the training, they’re qualified to work as a classroom teacher.

“Nothing prepares you for doing this job, other than doing the job,” Jacobson said. “Being at a school working with kids is easily 10 times more important than any of the classes I’ve taken, and I get way better experience and much more value out of just doing it and learning through failure.”

As a way of incentivizing the program during its infancy, the eight students get half of their tuition costs reimbursed with federal grant funds.

Four districts participate in the pilot: Wauwatosa, Greendale, Elmbrook and Appleton. The districts are not required to pay for the remainder of the apprentice’s tuition — Elmbrook, a relativelywealthy district, was the only one that did.

State leaders also hope the apprenticeships might help with teacher retention. Teachers will start with four years of classroom management experience already under their belt, far more than usual.Plus, other teachers mentor them on the job. That essentially eliminates the difficult experience of being a first-year teacher, said Appleton Area School District Chief Human Resources Officer Julie King.

“Managing a classroom and the curriculum and all the demands of the job is very overwhelming after having maybe 18 weeks of student teaching experience,” King said. “To learn alongside a professional that has been in the career, knows all the ins and outs, has skill sets and strategies to work with students – to have that benefit of working alongside somebody like that for four years, you’re much, much better prepared.”

Given these promises, teacher apprenticeships have recently exploded nationwide — 45 states have brought programs online in the last few years. They vary widely in their funding approaches and in the costs to districts and students. States have often looked to Tennessee, the country’s first program, as a standout model. The state’s program, launched in 2020, now helps fund 600 new teacher trainees annually at no cost to the apprentices.

Enticing schools a challenge

In his Foundations of Reading class last fall, Jacobson learned about phonological and phonemic awareness, or the ability to recognize distinct parts of a word — a key skill for learning how to read. Using what he learned, he started running his own reading support group for students needing extra help.

“The second you learn something, I don’t have to wait two years before I actually apply that knowledge to my job,” Jacobson said. “No, I’m applying it that same day or the next day, which then makes it stick a lot more.”

The program gets high marks from trainees and schools. So why aren’t more signing up?

Money. Both school districts and apprentices are struggling to afford it.

The four districts that already have apprentices are waiting until their current students graduate to decide whether to add more, Abbott said.

“I want to stress that the apprenticeship model itself remains available to all school employers in the state who wish to adopt it,” Abbott said. “It comes down to finding partners.”

But getting more of Wisconsin’s 400-plus districts to bite has been difficult.

Sorensen, the Fox Valley Tech dean, said the college isn’t seeing interest from districts because many are contending with too-tight budgets. School leaders have long argued the state’s funding system hasn’t kept up with rising costs, which, as Wisconsin Watch recently reported, has resulted in a recent wave of school closures, layoffs and budget cuts.

That’s made it hard for districts to pay for the hours when trainees are in college, and not working in the classroom.

“It’s challenging for school districts to be able to build in that release time. We did hear that, and that’s really understandable,” said Dena Constantineau, Waukesha County Tech’s associate dean of education and human services. “I mean, they really rely on their people, and so they need them in the classroom.”

Even with the discount from the federal grant, tuition can be costly. For example, the average annual tuition costs at least $5,900 for the technical college portion and about $6,000 for UW-Whitewater at Rock County. That means the leftover cost to apprentices could still be upwards of $12,000.

Plus, the federal funds that helped launch the pilot run out next March, so there could be even less tuition assistance for future apprentices.

The Appleton Area School District would love to put more students into the program, “if there was funding” to entice participants, King said. The district couldn’t afford to give students more tuition assistance, which hampered participation.

“The unknown for us moving forward is there is no state funding. If there’s other opportunities for that tuition relief for the individual, that’s really what entices people to engage in that program,” King said.

“The question on the future really is, ‘Where is the funding and the structures going to be in the future to make sure that it’s a viable option moving forward?’” King said. “‘That it reduces the financial barrier? That it’s accessible?’”

Miranda Dunlap reports on pathways to success in northeast Wisconsin, working in partnership with Open Campus. Find her on Instagram and Twitter, or send her an email at mdunlap@wisconsinwatch.org.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin DOT announces revocation of licenses for wholesale dealers throughout the state

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin DOT announces revocation of licenses for wholesale dealers throughout the state

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles announced on Thursday it revoked the licenses for eight wholesale dealers throughout Wisconsin.

The DMV Dealer and Agent Section determined that the dealers violated state law when they failed to maintain a dealer bond.

The following dealers had their licenses revoked:

Located at 101 Skyline Drive #1 Arlington: