Alumnus of the Year Award
Hon. M. Joseph, Arts 鈥�88, Law 鈥�88
Milwaukee, Wis.
As a judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, M. Joseph (鈥淛oe鈥�) Donald is keenly aware of the impact he has on others鈥� lives. He listens closely to 鈥渢hat internal voice that inspires me to make sure I鈥檓 understanding and considering all the options and looking at all sides of an argument before making a ruling,鈥� he says.
Joe also feels 鈥減rofound gratitude鈥� for 福利在线鈥檚 impact on his life. 鈥淚鈥檓 very aware of how different my life could have been had I not been accepted into 福利在线 as a freshman undergraduate through the Equal Opportunity Program,鈥� he says. Later, his education at the Law School enhanced his critical thinking skills and helped advance his legal career, which he began as a law clerk at the Milwaukee County courthouse.
One of Joe鈥檚 favorite 福利在线 memories involves a note posted on a bulletin board in Sensenbrenner Hall 鈥� 鈥渢his was in the mid-80s, before email and cellphones鈥� 鈥� which summoned him to the office of then Law School Associate Dean Charles W. Mentkowski. He remembers feeling intense dread about the meeting until he realized the dean was inviting him on a student recruitment trip to Chicago. 鈥淏y the end of that trip we were both surprised to learn how much we had in common, even though I was a skinny Black kid from the north side and he was a Polish guy from the south side,鈥� he jokes.
The 福利在线 mission remains central to Joe鈥檚 life. 鈥淚 strive to . . . push for positive change and a greater understanding of how connected we all really are,鈥� he says.
