Hello all, welcome to WFHR's Rapids Report for this May 29th, 2025.
Have your host, James J. Mailov here.
Welcome in the studio.
Our good friend, Yudia B. Extension's Olga Menza is with us.
Olga, it's good to see you.
Same here.
Thank you for having us.
It feels like it's been a while.
It's great to have you in studio and to be able to talk.
We appreciate so much our friends at Extension and all the good work that you guys are doing
in our communities.
If you don't mind, I'd like to kind of rewind a little bit to kick things off.
It's been a little while.
You recently completed some programs that we wanted to highlight.
Can we start there?
Yeah, definitely.
So I completed the tools to thrive programming at the Marshall High School.
So usually it's like a eight week session.
So I did that through the winter from January to May.
And since kids were like off break in March,
we kind of gave them a couple of weeks off there.
So that's why it took longer to complete it.
And I actually had five of my students who are seniors for them graduated last weekend.
How congrats to them.
That's awesome.
That's awesome.
There was one student in particular that he was so close to giving up already at the
end of the year.
He needed money and stuff financially.
So he needed to help his family and couldn't finish it.
And he thought he needed another year to finish.
So I helped him look at his credits and how we can help him finish on time.
And that we didn't have to repeat a whole other semester.
And so once we got it all figured out, and I was so happy to see him graduate.
Congrats to you too.
That feels good for you.
I imagine to hear it.
That's awesome.
Can you?
Don't mean to bog down too much in it, but as far as the program goes,
what kind of things were you working with the kids about?
Yeah.
So the tools to write program, usually we talk about college career readiness.
Since these are high schoolers, we want to help them to thrive through the high school
and graduate.
And then if they have motivation to go into college, a technical college, or university
how I can be there to give them those resources and tools to make sure that maybe this is
like their first generation of attending university.
So how to break those cycles and give them that support.
But also because there is language barrier and these students are having a hard time
like with the school system itself because it's different than the original country.
So then I also focus on that to us as well.
So we talk about the school system, how it works here, and the credits that I need
to graduate and why it's important to always make sure that if you're a freshman, let's
make sure you have all those credits that you need during that year.
And so hopefully by senior year, you have at least credits that need to graduate.
It's so great that these individuals have some assistance, some help through this process.
And part of the reason that makes me feel good about this and everything is the fact
that we have this now, we didn't always have things like this.
And by that, I don't just mean like in the last five, 10, 15 years and for certain students
that I think a lot of people are imagining in their head or whatever, I'm talking about
your grandparents, everybody.
I'm talking about my grandparents, my dad's side, my Italian side of my family, when
they first came here, didn't speak very good English.
We had a very difficult time in school and most of the kids would drop out of school
because it was just, well, I'm not going to accomplish anything here.
I'm just going to go get a job in the factory or something like that.
This has been a part of our country for a very, very long time.
They're not what, they didn't used to be programs for the, my grandparents or your grandparents
out there or something like that.
It's a really revolutionary because granted, I know that some people, you know, this can
be opinionated sometimes, which I don't understand, but okay.
But I bet one thing that we all care, you know, your tax is the economy, these kind of
things.
Well, just look at Olga's situation, like this is something that's going around a whole
country and there's great programs going around the whole country helping with this.
But just looking at our area and zooming in right here, you mentioned four out of five
there.
There's four individuals that go on to go to school to get good jobs that put into the
community, whether it's with volunteering or their tax dollars or anything like that.
That's what America's built on.
That is literally the foundation of our country is those kind of things happening, that process
and you helped with that.
That's a big part of that.
Yeah.
I think I can relate to the students because I'm also first generation immigrant, a daughter
of immigrant parents.
So my parents also have a language barrier and we didn't have those, you know, that support
how you mentioned.
So as soon as I, you know, got hired for the job, I knew exactly like, you know, how to
help them, how to assist them, how to support them because those are the things that, you
know, we were going through as well.
You can relate on a level that not many can and that reaches especially young people so
much better.
It's so much easier where it's not just somebody reading something from a manual, nothing
against that and not to say that you have to have that to be good at the job or anything,
but boy, does it go at extra length when you really can, you know what you're talking
about basically.
Yeah, definitely.
And I know the school focuses a lot on mental health as well.
So they want us to bring topics about mental health.
And so I did, you know, did a lot of the behavioral health.
So, you know, how to, you know, like work with your emotions and a positive way and
anger management and stuff like that.
So that was also really important and to see that now not most of the kids have like a
mental health issue is more of like frustration because of the lack of language, the barriers
that they have and, you know, not understanding like, you know, in classroom and they're just
putting with all their rest of the kids and they're, they're by themselves trying to
figure out.
So I did find out as well that in Marshfield school district, they have only one ESL teacher
covering like the high school and the middle school.
And so that could be really tough for her as well.
Yeah.
And so when I come in and I provide the tools to thrive support, we can see like the difference
in the students' behavior as well.
They get like really excited because they can speak their language and I always try to
adapt the curriculum with something that is, you know, culturally appropriate.
And you know, sometimes we add music, we make it fine.
Which is again, it helps the, the information stick when it's, when it's brought to present
it that way and people are able to take it in that way.
Yeah.
That's really cool.
And you're not done because, oh, I noticed that you're also, you've been in touch recently
with Rams with just a couple of blocks from us over here here in Rapids.
How's that going?
It's going pretty good.
We are having conversations about either starting summer programming, if there's enough time.
Otherwise, definitely in the fall, we can start preparing to work with the middle schoolers
in the fall.
So that's pretty exciting because I've been trying to get into the middle schools.
Currently, I've been working with the high schoolers, but it's also important to work
with the middle schoolers because the tools to thrive also bring support for those middle
schools, students who are transitioning from middle school to high school and how to
better prepare them.
And it feels like the younger you can work with kids, the better it is.
It's so much easier to help them at a younger age.
Yes, definitely.
And it really is kind of, I don't know if I'm going to word this right better for them,
too.
It's not to say that it's not worth it still in high school and everything, but boy,
the younger you can, the more adaptable they may be.
And at that age, especially where, you know, again, brains are sponges and stuff.
And taking it, you receive information so much easier.
Yeah, most definitely.
It's great to hear.
That's exciting to hear, too.
Please keep us up to date on that and everything.
We love our local schools around here.
We've got a big shut up to Rams whenever we can.
And that's a really nice combination.
I like that.
That's good to hear.
And additionally, you're also working with the Ho-Chunk Youth Center.
Yes, in Nicosah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
We will be doing summer programming together and the great thing about it, they already
have the youth that participate in their program.
So it'll make it easy for me, too, to don't have to do too much promotion.
Not a lot of recruiting there.
Yeah, I'm just going to be like the support educator in bringing materials and tools, you
know, that they are needed.
So that's really great.
And I'm excited to also work with that population.
Yeah.
And another one that we're, I look forward to the next time you join us in hearing
how these are going.
Yeah.
And some of that are very excited for the kids in that area.
And we were, I touched on this a little bit before, as far as, you know, when you can
work with the younger, the younger you can work with, a lot of these kids that better
offer them and the better it can be.
And to that point, you're planning for each Spanish workshops for elementary age students
too.
You touched on this a little bit already.
Yeah.
So for this summer as well, I, you know, we believe it's important to also touch on the
younger students.
And that's the only time that I get to work with them in the summers.
As the fall semesters, I'm usually with the high schoolers or middle schoolers, same
for the winter.
And so I don't really have time in my schedule, I only work part time, only 20 hours.
So summer's is when we get to like literally connect with that age group.
And I think we also have a better chance to work with them because usually the high
schoolers are on a bow, trying to get jobs or leaving for college.
So it's easier to promote to the elementary school kiddos.
And to that point as well, when I encourage people to reach out to Olga, we'll give you
the information on how you can do that a little bit later when it comes to some of these
programs or just even ideas you might have for programs.
To that point, you have partnered with our good friends over in McMillan Library to
lead a 4-H art event.
Yes.
So that's going to be the end of this art in June, the 24th.
Yeah.
And it's going to be like a four-hour program from 9 to 12.
Originally, they had just put something with art, carton crafts.
And I'm really artistic and creative and I love making those Mexican paper tissue flowers
and how we can use that to decorate like reads and kids can take a home and use it for
something.
And they can even like, for the July is coming up so we can use those colors to make that
theme.
I, Olga's nice enough to send over an outline for us in the mornings here and everything.
And I was looking at it this morning and I had a nostalgic deja vu moment when I read
that because one of my best friends growing up, him and his mom used to make those and
bring me and my sister over and we make them.
Oh, nice.
It was so much fun.
They're so cool.
Yeah.
You read about the colors part.
I really liked that.
Yeah.
It was fun then and hard.
It was part of the reason I liked it.
I'm an artist.
It is not good at art.
I am not going to make you things.
Those I could make.
Those things I could do and everything.
It's fun too.
And a great project, a good combination with McMillan and not only the great space and vibe
and energy they have over there.
But that is one of our, you know, our meeting spots.
It's such a good place to hold and have these kind of events.
And on top of all of this, Olga, you were not done.
You've also got some other things that you're going to be doing this summer.
Yes.
Also trying to work on the junta's programming.
So the junta's programming is more for like the adults, the parents of the students.
So it could be either middle schoolers or high schoolers that usually we provide information
about like the school system, how it works, how it functions.
And then also explaining to the parents what the kids are going through in school.
Like to provide more support for them, understanding because sometimes like in the Hispanic Latino
culture, there's always that parents that are more strict and when you get home from
school, they want you to like pitch in on, you know, house chores or stuff like that
and, you know, pick up some, some household duties and that's all great.
But then also just letting them know that the education piece is very important and how
can we support the student and their children to make sure that, you know, they fully complete
their assignments and stuff before, you know, taking over like household chores.
And it's also a great information that we bring to the parents like resources for like
fast-fa, financial aid information assistance that, you know, once they're their kiddos,
like the seniors, I had one hosted this year in January.
And it was really great because a lot of those families don't think that their children
can go to college because they don't have the money financially, but there is other
assistance that they can apply for in scholarships that they were not aware of.
And sometimes it's because it's not in the, you know, in other languages, but in English.
So that's where I come in and I do a lot of the translation and I connect with the college
education to make sure that we host this and we're actually going to host the next one
in Spanish.
So now, yeah, so they're going to bring me like all the flyers, everything in English
and Spanish.
Awesome.
Awesome.
Yeah.
I imagine.
Yeah.
Well, just to be blunt, any chance do you get for a breather or anything?
That's amazing.
I hope the audience caught this earlier that you are part time and all of this that you're
doing and all of this.
And I feel like we've only scratched the surface of some of the things you have done
too.
I just, a big appreciation from the community on the work you're doing there.
It's, it is a gray area that shouldn't be a gray area, but it is and it doesn't get
the attention it deserves and not only appreciate you taking the time with us to talk about
this stuff, but what you're doing, clearly out there and everything.
And we want to keep her busy, everybody.
We want Olga to be busy.
We bought you.
Yeah, if you were a, especially during the summer months here, you can, as I speak,
did this much better than I can, Olga, but I, it seems like now would be a great time
to be able to plan things for the fall.
If you're a school or you want to bring Olga into your class or something along those
lines, you can really plan it out a little bit now.
If you're starting to do that, making those, having those conversations now.
Right.
Yeah.
That's, um, that's what we're working right now on timelines.
Mm-hmm.
Um, so I've only been with UW Extension for about seven months.
That's crazy.
You've accomplished a lot in that time.
Yeah.
And I appreciate it.
Thank you.
Yeah.
And just like last month, um, I did the, um, an event with, I partnered with UW, Steven's
point, and mid-stay in Marshfield, um, and they did, they did a career expo thing.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And an event.
So I, I reached out and I said, how can I participate?
And I would like to put a booth and information, both English and Spanish, because this was specifically
for the high schoolers.
Oh, okay.
The high schoolers came to do a tour and then they were, yeah, that's right.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
So it was my first time doing it.
I thought it was amazing.
And there was very little Hispanic Latino students, but those, a little bit that I was able
to touch, you know, and connect with, were super, like, amazed, like, oh, I like to
do your job one day.
And I'm like, yeah, you definitely can.
That's, like, the opportunities, you know, our endless, and we're always looking for bilingual
stuff.
It's really hard.
It's got to feel pretty rewarding, too, to hear something like that.
Yes.
That's really, really cool and some great work that you're doing and a great conversation
as always, Olga.
Thank you so much for joining us.
I appreciate the time.
If people have follow questions, they would like to reach out to you about some of the things
we talked about today.
How can they do that?
Yeah.
So I can share the phone number.
It is 715-315-9942, and then you can also find us on the wood extension with .edu.
That's the, our website.
I encourage you to find that everybody, if you ever need this information, again, reach
out to us.
We'll go ahead and make sure that you can get in touch with Olga and our friends at UW Extension.
Please say hi to everybody over there for us, and thanks again for the time, Olga.
I definitely will.
Thank you, James.
Have a good day.
You too.
And thank you, everybody, for joining us here at WFHR's Rapids Report.
