A Bonduel High School graduate was among an elite group of students selected to attend the Wisconsin Youth Leadership Forum, a weeklong leadership training experience for students with disabilities.
The forum is open to just 28 students every year, so when MaKenzie Stoss learned she was selected, she knew her hard work had paid off.
“I felt happy and excited,” she said. “It’s an honor to be selected because it’s hand-picked. You can’t just sign up and go.”
At the forum, which ran from July 13-18 at Edgewood College in Madison, students were exposed to a variety of leadership activities and visited the state Capitol, where they met some of the legislators. Stoss said they experienced life in the dorms and had a fun time hanging out, watching TV and playing games.
“It was people from all over,” she said. “I live pretty far away from the others, but I felt appreciated and very excited because this was an honor.”
Stoss, 19, was born with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified, or PDD-NOS, a type of autism. Early in her life, she needed a walker to get around, and it was uncertain how well she would be able to function on her own.
Jeanne Wudtke, Stoss’ home therapist, said Stoss has become more independent than anyone would have thought.
“She is kind of a go-getter,” Wudtke said. “She has really done a lot since I started working with her.”
From the time Stoss was in second grade, Wudtke helped her learn how to manage schoolwork, household chores, budgeting and other life skills.
As Stoss’ abilities began to grow, so did her involvement in school and the community.
At Bonduel High School, Stoss was a member of the cheerleading squad and helped with the student newspaper. She participated in Bonduel Educating Area Students, or BEAT, where she helped plan after-school activities for kids to promote drug and alcohol awareness.
As a sophomore, Stoss was involved in Youth in Partnership with Parents for Empowerment.
“We learned things like how to apply for jobs, how to advocate for yourself in school and the community, and we met other people with disabilities,” Stoss said.
Stoss also helped develop the school’s student cafe, the Bear’s Den, where students can purchase food and drinks.
Julie LaBerge, Bonduel’s director of pupil services, said Stoss played an integral role in opening the Bear’s Den by attending food shows and learning how to manage the responsibilities of the cafe.
“MaKenzie has done a really nice job there,” LaBerge said. “She is one of the hardest workers I have ever met in my life.”
Stoss also stays busy in the community. She has volunteered at the Shawano County Humane Society and the Village Veterinary Clinic and occasionally babysits.
As a senior this spring, Stoss wrote about these experience when applying for the Wisconsin Youth Leadership Forum. Wudtke, LaBerge and Nicole Smith, her case mentor at the Department of Community Programs, supplied her references.
“I think she was just such a good candidate for the forum,” Wudtke said. “She is not afraid to try an experience like the forum.”
Cassandra Lokker, director of the Wisconsin Youth Leadership Forum, said students are selected for the event based on their leadership experiences and involvement in their school and community.
“We look for leadership potential,” Lokker said. “If they are involved with school activities, or even if they aren’t, we look for people who just have a positive outlook on life.”
With the forum behind her, Stoss has some new goals in sight.
She will begin her first semester at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College this fall, where she plans to become a computer support specialist. She also has plans to start a beautification program in Bonduel to brighten the town and make it more welcoming to visitors.
LaBerge said Stoss’ strong leadership development was more than anyone could have anticipated.
“She has grown in every aspect she could,” Laberge said.
Stoss’ mom, Carrie Stoss, said Bonduel’s strong school system can be credited for her transformation.
“MaKenzie has had many challenges,” Carrie Stoss said. “(From) thinking she wasn’t going to be able to walk, and now she is walking. Leaps and bounds. She is really determined.”
MaKenzie Stoss said she will always remember the leadership forum.
“I enjoyed hanging out with friends and having the experience to learn about stuff that can help you in the future,” she said.
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