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Student Profile — Juston Edwards
MATC becomes stepping stone to political career
By Joshua Wolff
It’s not easy being a Republican in a liberal city like Madison, but then nothing has come easy for Juston Edwards in his three-year career at MATC.
Edwards said he never planned to go to college when he was in high school. Fueled by a desire to serve his country, he knew from an early age that he was going to join the military.
“Academics was not a big priority of mine in high school,” admitted Edwards. His high school GPA was about a 2.3 to 2.4. He didn‘t care about grades just as long as he passed his classes and received a high school diploma, which he did, from Edgerton High School.
“The military was going to be my career,” said Edwards, MATC student and president of the College Republicans at MATC.
It was while he was stationed at Panama City Beach, Florida, in 2001 that he suffered a back injury and had to be discharged from the military. He now lives with pain and restricted use of his back.
“I didn’t know what to do,” said Edwards. His dream of being a career military man was over. He worked various jobs, and lived with friends; he didn’t have a plan for his future until he enrolled at MATC in 2005.
At first, MATC was a struggle for Edwards, especially in English. His placement tests landed him in a remedial English class designed to prepare students for English 1 or Written Communications.
“I had to go back to basics,” remembered Edwards. “It wasn’t until after English 2 that I felt comfortable.”
Edwards attributed his success in English to his teachers at MATC. His instructors' hands-on approach to teaching worked much better for him than the approach taken by his high school teachers.
“In high school, you’d hand a paper in and get it back with a bunch of red ink on it,” said Edwards. “Here at MATC they (instructors) take the time to explain your mistakes.”
Edwards is currently finishing up his third year at MATC, and plans to transfer to the University of Wisconsin to study political science. After that, he wants to go to law school.
The same desire to serve his country that compelled him to join the military is also the reason why he wants to get into politics and, hopefully, run for office someday. He is concerned with the high taxes people are paying in Madison and Dane County, and wants a smaller government in Wisconsin.
“People know how to spend their money better than the government does,” said Edwards.
Edwards idolizes Wisconsin Congressmen Paul Ryan. He respects his energy and his efforts to lower taxes, and would someday like to have a career similar to Ryan’s.
Whether you agree or disagree with Edward’s positions on issues, it’s obvious to all who know this MATC Republican that Edwards wants to make this country a better place for all. And on the road to accomplishing this, Juston Edwards says he’ll never forget that necessary stepping stone in his life: MATC.
Note: Joshua Wolff is a journalism student at MATC.
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