Abdul Cole 

New Opportunities

Abdul Cole comes from Sierra Leone, West Africa. He heard about Western from a Wisconsin native he met while volunteering on a medical mission ship, the African Mercy. With his friend’s parents as his sponsor, Abdul spent two years obtaining a visa before travelling to La Crosse to achieve his dream of earning a college degree.

He left a large and loving family to come to Western in 2020, just months before the pandemic changed everything. The first in his family to attend college, Abdul found his place in the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technician program. And as a testament to his resiliency, he was chosen as the 2020 Western Technical College Student Ambassador.

Since graduating in April 2022, Abdul has started his career at J.F. Brennan in La Crosse. Eventually, he would like to return to Sierra Leone to start a business in the diesel field, a service he says is sorely needed in his community. He plans to teach others the skills he learned and the ideas he explored while at Western. We are honored Abdul chose to make Western his home away from home. Abdul Cole is essentially Western.