Alumni Spotlights

Tenor Journal Square senior Gio Gutierrez-Diaz was named a 2026 All-In Milwaukee Scholar and received a significant annual scholarship to Marquette University. With this financial assistance and the multi-faceted support All-In provides, Gio will attend Marquette University this fall to study nursing. 

Since Gio was young, Seeds of Health has always been a major presence in his life. He began his educational journey at Windlake Academy — now Seeds of Health Elementary — and has many family members — his older sister, two cousins, and an aunt — who attended Tenor before him.

“My whole family was basically structured around Windlake and Tenor,” he said. “Hearing all their good feedback about [Tenor’s] MATC program, I knew it was where I needed to go for success.” Now in his senior year at Tenor, Gio is finishing his second semester at MATC, completing general education credits, as well as anatomy courses, that he can transfer over to Marquette this fall. 

The medical field, like Seeds of Health, was something that Gio grew up surrounded and influenced by. His mom, aunt, and sister are all CNAs, so, coupled with his love of helping people, choosing nursing felt natural to him. “I’ve always liked helping people a lot. It’s probably one of the things that brings me the most joy,” he said. “When people who aren’t in a good place smile because of something you’ve done for them, I love it. I want to be that light in a place that could be filled with darkness or sadness.”

He plans to become a pediatric nurse, and his dream is to work at Children’s Hospital.

As he works toward meeting that goal, Gio said that Tenor — and, particularly, his teachers — has prepared him well for it. “If it weren’t for the relationships that I have with some of my teachers, I wouldn’t have been as pushed as much as I was, and I wouldn’t have succeeded in the way I have.”

At Tenor, Gio played on the Tenor/Veritas soccer team — which just finished its record-breaking season, winning regionals against the defending state champions — and plans to join the inaugural tennis team this spring. He’s taking the time to enjoy his last semester with the school, even as he’s looking ahead to Marquette. 

“Having the extra help from All-In is very much appreciated,” he said, “and I’m very grateful for it.”

Congratulations, Gio!

Since graduating from Tenor Cathedral Square High School in 2024, John Keene has pursued his passion for accounting, combining his strong interest in the field with his confidence as a speaker to build a bright future for himself.

John is currently a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, double majoring in Accounting and Finance. In addition to his heavy courseload, John works in the accounting department at Boucher Hyundai. Recently, by attending a wide number of career fairs, John obtained one of his biggest goals for this stage of his career: landing an accounting internship for 2027, this one at RitzHolman. 

John discovered his interest in accounting through career planning work at Tenor. One of his classes junior year required him to take an online test identifying his interests, skills, and goals, before revealing the careers best suited to meet those attributes. He took the test and discovered that Accounting and Finance were the careers that best matched his personality and work style. For John, the test was hugely influential: it gave him possibilities for a career that he had never imagined before.

John said that after that test, he did “a complete 360,” gaining a newfound interest in academics that he hadn’t had before. With the guidance of Tenor’s counselors, he re-committed himself to his studies. “The impact Tenor has had on my life is making me realize that it’s always possible to change for the better at any time in your life as long as that’s what you strive to do,” he said.

He attended MATC for one year through Tenor’s partnership with the college, enrolling in preliminary Accounting courses and learning the fundamentals of the field. At the same time, he began to draw on the strong work ethic and people skills that he had always possessed.

From the moment John began to focus deeply on his career goals, he used his skills as a public speaker to his advantage – networking, attending career fairs, and introducing himself with confidence to prospective employers. He developed these skills “just by being confident,” he said. Networking is about “going up to people and telling them about yourself, what you have to offer, what your goals are, and what you plan to learn. As long as you’re an ambitious person, networking will go a long way.”

He learned that strong networking means utilizing the skills you already have. “It’s much harder when you’re scared of rejection, or scared of what you feel you don’t have,” he said. John, using his own advice, took advantage of the opportunities that came his way, resulting in the accounting internship at RitzHolman he had been hoping for. 

John will graduate from UWM in 2027. Even though he’s still a student, John already has big dreams for the future, hoping to one day open his own accounting firm. With an internship lined up and the work experience he already has, John is already well on his way to making that future a reality. 

A 2022 Tenor Journal Square graduate, Alex Piedra used his year at MATC to kickstart a career in audio engineering – a field that he hadn’t considered before.

In AV Production and audio engineering, Alex currently holds two jobs. On Saturdays and Sundays, he works as maintenance engineer at the Marcus Center, where he guarantees the smooth-running of the building’s facilities. 

Throughout the week, Alex also works at Events By Design, helping to set up and produce events around the city. “We set up AV equipment – which is basically microphones, TVs, and speakers,” Alex said. “We do a variety of different things for events; it always changes a lot.”

When still a student at Tenor, Alex didn’t know that audio engineering was where his future would lie. A Tenor student-of-the-year in 10th grade, he was drawn to the school’s clubs and the opportunities for socializing that they offered. He participated in both Volunteer Club and Nerd Club, where he played games and hung out with other students and teachers.

“Volunteer Club was a great experience because we just got to serve the community, help those who needed it with food services,” Alex said. 

For his senior year, Alex took advantage of the opportunity to pursue a technical diploma at MATC. Alex had always enjoyed music and making beats on his computer, so he decided to look into classes on audio-engineering. Describing his time at MATC as “smooth-sailing,” Alex enjoyed the classes, and in 2024 he graduated from MATC with a technical diploma in audio engineering and an associate’s degree in audio production.

Throughout his time at MATC, Alex stayed in contact with Tenor School Counselor Carol Pook, who was a “huge help.” After his graduation, she reached out to Alex, telling him about the opening for a maintenance engineer at the Marcus Center and encouraging him to apply. Now, at both the Marcus Center and Events By Design, Alex uses the degrees that he earned through MATC, and while he’s happy where he is, he is also beginning to look into other opportunities in AV production.

From their childhoods in Milwaukee to their careers at Seeds of Health, Diana Lopez and Erin Benson have stayed together through it all.

Diana and Erin both attended Veritas High School and graduated in the class of 2017. Now, Diana works as Veritas’ administrative assistant, and Erin, now a math paraprofessional at Seeds of Health Elementary, will begin her role as a fourth grade teacher at the school next year.

Diana and Erin both grew up on the south side of Milwaukee — near each other, and near Seeds of Health’s schools. They met in elementary school at one of Milwaukee’s public schools and quickly became friends. When deciding where to attend high school, they learned about Veritas through a family friend of Diana’s; interested in the small, “homey” school environment, they both applied, and both were accepted. 

For Diana, attending Veritas as a student “had a lasting impact” on her.

“Because [Veritas] was a smaller setting, I liked that we would be able to have a lot more one-on-one time with teachers than in public school,” she said. “If I had any concerns, I could go to them to talk about it, be it in my life or with school stressors.”

The advice and guidance the teachers offered didn’t end when Diana graduated.

“A lot of them have been mentors in different aspects too,” she said. “They’re very good at keeping in contact with alumni. It truly feels like a community. It’s not only like, this is school, and once we’re done with four years, we’re done. I felt like I was able to connect with them on a personal level and reach out to them after graduation.” 

Diana remained in contact with her teachers and counselors, asking for guidance and advice as she began pursuing her bachelor’s in Nursing from Alverno College. With her younger siblings still attending Veritas, it was easy for her to continue fostering her connections with the school, forming the relationships that helped her navigate life post-graduation and ultimately led her to return to Seeds of Health.

Diana graduated from Alverno College in 2021, but, deciding not to pursue a career in nursing, instead re-connected with Erin and began working with her at a Milwaukee daycare.

Erin, like Diana, had stayed close to home after graduating from Veritas. She attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and earned her bachelor’s in Community Engagement and Education in 2021. With Covid restrictions still in place when she graduated, Erin felt disconnected from education by the prevalence of online schooling and instead chose to work directly with children in a childcare role.  

While working together at the daycare in 2024, Diana, due to her ongoing connection with Seeds of Health, learned of Veritas’ opening for a new administrative assistant on Facebook. “I remember being very insecure about applying,” she said. “I have experience with children, but they’re two year-olds. I don’t know how I’m going to be with high-schoolers…There were a lot of nerves going into it.”

Ultimately, what convinced Diana to apply was her connection with Veritas and its staff. “I feel comfortable in the school. I already went through it for four years; I've had my sister be there another four years after me and then my brother another four years. I still have connections with these teachers.”

“Once I got the call,” she said, “it literally felt like I was coming back home.”

Erin’s journey back to Seeds of Health was similarly guided by a sense of “homecoming.”

She learned about an opening for a Special Education teacher at Veritas from Diana, who convinced her to apply. Like Diana, Erin doubted her qualifications for the role and was nervous to be joining after the first week of classes had already begun.

“It was scary and nerve-wracking,’ Erin said. “But thinking about it, I knew that Diana would be there whenever I needed her…and at the same time, a lot of the teachers that we had in high school are still there. Knowing the relationships we had with them, it would be comfortable, that’s the best way to explain it.” 

As a Special Education teacher, having pre-formed relationships with the other teachers proved highly beneficial — making her ultimate goal, supporting students of all ability-levels, one step easier. Erin stayed in her Special Education role during the 2024-25 school year, but, interested in returning to elementary education with the lifting of Covid restrictions, moved to Seeds of Health Elementary as a math paraprofessional when the opening arose.

Even though they work at different schools, Erin and Diana are still part of the same Seeds of Health community. 

“Working in the agency,” Diana said, “I realized that we’re all one.”

Erin added, “In our staff meetings at the end of the day or if I'm just feeling overwhelmed and I don't know what to do, I have so many people that I trust and who I can go to. They knew me when I was a teenager, and now I’m lucky enough to have them help me through my journey to becoming a teacher.”

The closeness within the agency benefits not only the staff, but the students too.

“I know every single student in the school, and I feel like I know their families,” Diana said. “I know a lot of their situations, so I feel that much more connected to them. 

“That’s what I think is very unique about Veritas, that we continue to be there for our students even after they graduate, and we stay connected with our alumni network…That is the core of what Veritas is.”

At Seeds of Health, Diana said, “you make lifelong friendships. You not only connect with teachers, but also with students — you find lifelong friends.’

Of that, Erin and Diana are living proof.

Since graduating from Tenor High School in 2015, Andres Garcia has been working in higher education, easing students’ transitions from high school to college in the same way that Tenor did for him.

He currently serves as an Admissions Advisor II at Bryant & Stratton College, where he manages the entire process of enrollment for his students, from their initial inquiry with the school up until they begin classes. He works in particular with healthcare and nursing students, preparing them to enter the school’s clinical partnership sites. “Lots of my role just involves making sure that students are supported,” he said. 

Prior to transitioning into the Advisor II role, Andres managed all traditional high school enrollments and served as the lead coordinator for the college’s JumpStart program for high school students, a unique position where he specialized in high school admissions and early college initiatives.

Attending Tenor High School and growing up in the Seeds of Health network introduced Andres to the world of higher education that would become his future career. Even before graduating from high school, he knew that he wanted to attend a UW school; the field trips to universities and college days Tenor offered opened his eyes to possibilities in front of him.

Tenor had prepared Andres well for college, both academically – by readying him for the intellectual rigors of higher education, specifically through his College Success class – but also personally, thanks to the school’s supportive, attentive environment. Andres got to experience over a decade with Seeds of Health’s small-school model, having attended both Windlake Elementary and Windlake Academy (now Seeds of Health Elementary School) before joining Tenor. 

“What sticks out to me is the strong support system that I had there,” he said. “I think it helped that it was a smaller school. Being in that smaller environment, you have much more help with the teachers, people that want to see you succeed. It really just builds that layer of confidence.”

Even though Andres always knew he wanted to receive a bachelor’s degree from a four-year university, he still took advantage of the free year of college at MATC, using it to receive transferable General Education credits that made earning his future core credits much simpler. 

“During my time, some students had already figured out what they wanted to do. For example, they wanted to do trades or something like that, so they would focus primarily on that…. I wanted to secure a bachelor's degree, and that I knew that I didn't necessarily have everything mapped out, but I knew opportunities would present themselves and I would capitalize on them. I just wanted to ensure that I went down that path.”

He decided to attend UW–Whitewater, where he studied political science with a legal studies emphasis, a major that he enjoyed for the flexibility that it offered him for future careers. “That experience really just helped me strengthen my communication, writing skills, and critical thinking skills that I use every day now.”

His first job after graduating was at Landmark Credit Union’s corporate headquarters in their mortgage servicing division, a job that helped him learn to navigate a professional corporate environment. After a year and a half in that role, he transitioned into higher education. In the position he holds today, he utilizes the important skills he had learned at Seeds of Health, UW–Whitewater, and his first job.

For younger alumni, he said, “I would place a strong emphasis on learning transferable skills, whether that be communication, research, even some people get into sales. Focus on those transferable skills because you're going to be able to do so much with them, and you'll never know where that's going to lead you. Don't think that you have to follow one path or the other all the time; always be open to change.”

When Laura Cruz started attending Grandview High School in 1996, she joined a “family” that she’s still a part of today. Before coming to Grandview, she had previously attended traditional schools, but as a teenage mom, Laura found the balance between school and parenting difficult to manage. Grandview was different. It offered the guidance, support, and manageable schedule that allowed her to successfully navigate being a young mother.

For Laura, her experience at Grandview was “wonderful and beautiful.” 

“I made so many memories there, and to this day, I still have communications with a lot of the teachers,” she said. Balancing the responsibilities of both studies and motherhood was “rough,” but the support from Grandview’s staff and her own motivation to succeed helped her catch up to where she needed to be. “I needed to get everything done, so I just did it,” Laura said. “I did have extra help from teachers; if I needed anything, they were very helpful with that.”

Joining the school gave Laura not only a sense of relief from present challenges, but also a path to a brighter future.

While a student, Laura was asked by Grandview staff whether she would be interested in working for credit at Seeds of Health’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Clinic. She agreed to the idea and soon after began helping out around the clinic, filing, answering phones, and helping ensure everything ran smoothly for clients. After a period of working for academic credit, Laura transitioned into a paid role with the clinic. In 1998, the year Laura graduated from Grandview, an opening was available for a full time position, and Laura, hoping to be able to stay with Seeds of Health, readily accepted it.

Today, almost 30 years later, Laura continues her tenure at the WIC Clinic, working as a Bilingual Breastfeeding Peer Counselor and Support Staff.

“My reward is working with the community and knowing that I’m here for them,” she said. “Having children come in and helping moms with breastfeeding, that’s what I really like.”

Staying with Seeds of Health in the WIC Clinic, Laura remains at home with the family that helped her as a young mother. “Working here,” Laura said. “It brings that same feeling from Grandview. You feel like you’re with family, and that’s important.”

The relationships you form with Seeds of Health, Laura said, don’t stop once you graduate. “They go beyond, and that’s nice. They continue.” 

For almost 30 years, Laura Geckler has been a proud member of the Seeds of Health community – as both a student from Grandview’s class of 1997, and as an employee at Seeds of Health’s Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinic.

She began attending Grandview as a senior in 1996, after falling behind on credits at her previous school. During the fall of her senior year, Laura was asked by Grandview staff whether she would be interested in working part-time as a medical screener at the WIC clinic, for which she would earn credits to help her graduate on time. Laura, excited by the opportunity, began working for the WIC Clinic that December, even as she continued her studies as a Grandview senior. She spent three days a week attending classes at Grandview and the other two rotating between the clinic’s various satellite locations as a medical screener. In this role, she screened clients, weighing and measuring them, checking their iron, and asking questions about their health.

In June of 1997, after Laura graduated from Grandview, she was asked to stay on with the clinic — to work not for credits, but rather in a part-time position. She stayed in this new part-time role until December of 1998, when she was hired as a full-time employee and assumed the role she still holds today. Over time, her role has evolved to encompass all aspects of the WIC Clinic — customer service, answering phones, doing intake, and issuing out benefits. “There’s quite a few roles in the job here,” Laura said.

For Laura, her ability to relate to the patients she serves has made the role highly rewarding. She had her first daughter in June of 1998 while working part-time at the WIC Clinic, and, at the time, she used many of the resources she is now able to share with other young mothers like her. “I am the community, and I am one of them,” Laura said. “What we’re teaching them as far as all the programs we offer, referrals, and resources in the community — I got all of that too. I feel so good to give back and be that for our families.”

With almost 30 years spent working with Seeds of Health, Laura is excited for 30 more. “I love Seeds of Health,” she said. “I hope to retire from here.”