Aug. 18, 2026 7:45p
(WGTD)---The future of Gateway Technical College may be shaped by the powerful personal experiences of the school’s new president and her engineering background. Veronique Tran delivered a 40-minute and at times emotional address at her inauguration ceremony in the Madrigrano Conference Center Tuesday.
Tran described how she and her farming family fled Vietnam to an uncertain future in the U.S. after the fall of Saigon 51 years ago. The life-transforming powers of education were at work with her father, who as a refugee enrolled in a technical college in Colorado to learn machining and English, and wound up retiring with a pension from General Electric. "In 1975, my parents carried hope for a future they could not see," she said. "Education helped to turn that hope into opportunity."
Tran herself went on to earn degrees, went to work for Shell and eventually transitioned to the academic world. "Never in my wildest dreams as that little girl who arrived in America as a refugee could I have imagined that one day I would stand before you as the president of a college," Tran said. "And that makes me wonder who is sitting in one of those classrooms today who cannot yet imagine the future ahead of them."
Here at Gateway, her goal is to help as many people as possible achieve their goals. "Out there in our communities there are countless individuals carrying hope for a different future but they may not know where to bring that hope. To each of them I say come, bring your hope to Gateway."
In addition, Tran wants Gateway graduates to consider the school as a home base where it’s always possible to re-enroll to gain new skills, especially as the impact of artificial intelligence grows. "Preparing someone for their first job is essential but it is no longer sufficient. We must also prepare people to navigate what comes next," she said.
Tran said a bout with breast cancer heightened her sense of urgency to build upon Gateway’s legacy, expand programs and serve more people.
Also speaking Tuesday were Wisconsin Technical College System President Layla Merrifield and the chair of Gateway's Board of Trustees, Zaida Lange-Irisson.
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