Phi Theta Kappa recently held a Commit to Completion Signing Day at Truax. Their keynote speaker was Joe Parisi, Dane County executive. He spoke to a crowd on September 6 to emphasize the importance for students to complete their education.

“It’s great to come back here to Madison College. It played an important, really a pivotal role in my life,” Parisi said. “I can safely say I wouldn’t be where I am today had I not been here.”

Parisi is a graduate of Madison Area Technical College. At 17, Parisi made what he refers to as “not the brightest” decision in his career. Parisi dropped out of high school.

“What I soon found out was that being a high school dropout was a decision that sent me on a path that wasn’t going very far,” Parisi said.

Parisi’s parents then gave him an ultimatum. They said to either pay rent or move out. He chose to move out.

After moving out, Parisi started working a couple of minimum wage jobs just to get by.

“That get’s old pretty soon,” Parisi said. “You can maybe get an entry level job for minimum wage just to survive or two just to survive, but moving up becomes difficult if not impossible without the bare minimum of a high school degree.”

Parisi added that it was difficult to find that entry-level job and now that same difficulty without a college degree.

Parisi decided to get his GED and then went on to being a student at Madison College. He struggled in some courses leading up to Madison College. Completing the GED gave him the confidence that he needed to try something else, he said.

Parisi then took introduction courses to satisfy requirements and had a considerable amount of success in them.

“Slowly but surely as I was successful in those, I realized I could move on do even more,” Parisi said.

Parisi worked part-time and went to school part-time until completing his education at Madison College. After completing his education at Madison College, he then transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a degree in sociology at age 30.

After working at the capitol, he was elected county clerk and then to the state legislature. Ultimately, he was elected county executive this past spring.

“So because those people were there for me long ago that helped me with my GED and because the instructors at MATC believed in me and helped me and allowed me to be in an environment to move forward I am able to stand before you today as the Dane County executive and a former member of the Wisconsin state legislature,” Parisi said. “It’s all because I was able to move forward and I completed that degree.”

Parisi further stressed the importance for students to finish their education. As county executive, Parisi has worked with several businesses across the board. In his time with working with them, he saw that there about 1,600 jobs that are open in Dane County that cannot be filled. There aren’t people out there with the specific skills needed to fill those positions.

“So sticking with it at MATC, getting that initial certificate, whatever it is that you are involved in is so important and so critical for you moving forward,” Parisi said. “That’s just not coming from the folks at MATC, that’s just not coming from me, that’s coming from the employers. So the bottom line is stick with it and finish that degree.”

Parisi added that finishing the initial degree and getting a job with it is beneficial because it allows the student to not only get the job, but opens the door for further training as he/she sees fit.

“The bottom line is please stick with it and continue your education. Get that degree or certificate,” Parisi said. “You won’t be sorry. I sure wasn’t.”