Search | Menu Madison College’s NextGen Academy aims to create leaders
Charlotte Franseen’s first ride in an ambulance wasn’t as a patient but as an EMS intern.
At 19 years old, Franseen was already a graduate of Madison College’s NextGen Responder Academy, a program for high school juniors and seniors to be licensed as emergency medical responders and firefighters.
That experience led to an internship with the Sun Prairie EMS Department that confirmed her future plans.
"Going on calls and experiencing this really helped me connect the dots and decide this is what I wanted to do,” Franseen says.
The Stoughton High School graduate is now a full-time Madison College student in the Paramedic Technician program while serving a two-year internship in Sun Prairie.
When she graduates with her associate degree, Franseen will be far ahead of her peers.
Transformative power
Madison College NextGen Academy has graduated hundreds of high schoolers since its first class in 2017. Teens find the academic, physical, and mental challenges transformative.
Some enter the Academy to build skills, while others prepare for a career that provides critical and lifesaving EMS and fire services in communities.
When students complete the EMR and Fire Recruit Academies, they take additional testing to be certified in Firefighter 1, Firefighter 2, Hazardous Materials Operations, Nationally Registered Emergency Responders, and CPR and Early Defibrillation.
The Academy appeals to all kinds of students. Some have firefighter or EMT service in their blood, following in their parents, or even grandparents' footsteps. Others crave the hands-on learning the Academy offers, and others, unsure of their plans, just want to try it out.
Kristy Schnabel, the lead Madison College NextGen Academy EMR instructor and a Fitch-Rona EMT, says whatever their motivations, students benefit from the program.
“I see students on the first day come in the classroom, and they’re scared and timid and don’t know what they got themselves into, but by graduation, they are outgoing and confident leaders,” Schnabel says.
Along with lectures and coursework, students get hands-on training at Madison College Truax's state-of-the-art facilities.
Will Boone, NextGen Academy’s lead fire instructor and a City of Madison firefighter, says the skills students take away are life-changing. Academy participants learn time management, leadership and teamwork skills.
“Our goal is to give them the skills to go out there and become EMTs and firefighters, but another big goal is that every student comes away from this program having a better understanding of how to become a productive member of society,” Boone says.
As a coach and mentor, Boone sees young people grow and mature in the program.
“What’s really cool is one day you see them struggling to put up a fire ladder or hold a hose line, but then you see them progress,” Boone says. “They take the state test and watch them flourish.”
While instructors are patient, 16-18-year-olds in the program are motivated to succeed in the Academy. This “tough love” approach motivated Academy student Brock Buskager to do his best. When challenges came up, like crawling through a confined space with an air pack on, he stayed calm and got through it, building confidence as each hurdle was overcome.
“The instructors are focused on pushing you to succeed, and that made me realize that I could do more,” Buskager says.
Buskager’s dad suggested a public safety career when he noticed how much his son liked to help people. Since his Academy experience, Buskager has flourished.
“My dad has noticed the changes in me, that I am more responsible, and punctual, and how much I’ve learned from hands-on training, and that isn’t something you can learn from a book,” Buskager says.
Opportunities for all
Another lure of the NextGen Academy program is that students earn college credits at no cost. This early college opportunity is a financial boost for many who thought higher education was beyond their reach. Academy participants can also apply for incentives up to $1,500, once they graduate.
The NextGen Responders Student Fund also helps high school students transition into fire and EMS careers after graduation with money for tuition, textbooks, housing, food, and more. The initiative aids low-income students who are 20% more likely to drop out of the protective services program.
Boone aims to let as many students know about the opportunity as possible. When he was a kid growing up in New York City, seeing a Black firefighter was as rare as unicorns. When he finally did meet one, he was inspired to follow the same career path.
“I want students to know that they can do this, and there are opportunities for people of color, females, and females of color, and that the NextGen Academy is a possibility,” Boone says.
Madison College NextGen Responders Academy is an important pipeline to get youth interested in public safety careers essential to Wisconsin’s towns and cities. And with statistics showing that tech school graduates stay in the communities, it helps neighborhoods thrive.
Many NextGen Academy graduates go on to advanced fire and EMS degrees at Madison College, and others serve as volunteers in much-needed rural departments.
This summer, Buskager, a recent Oregon High School grad, will start his internship with the Fitchburg Fire Department. In the fall, he’ll be back at Madison College for the two-year Fire Protection Technician Associate Degree.
Franseen is continuing her internship with Sun Prairie EMS, and will officially begin her core Madison College paramedic program classes this fall, and expects to be a licensed paramedic next summer.
Learn more and apply to NextGen Responders Academy
Find out more about the Madison College NextGen Responders Academy.
Start College Now applications are due to high schools by Oct. 1 for the spring class semester and March 1 for the fall semester. Contact earlycollege@madisoncollege.edu for more information.
