From a student learning the importance of service to a leader shaping Milwaukee’s public health landscape, Kweku-TeAngelo Cargile’s journey illustrates how the foundation laid at Messmer can guide a lifetime of purpose, leadership, and impact.

A proud graduate of Messmer High School’s Class of 2005, Kweku-TeAngelo Cargile '10, credits his path of service and leadership to the example set by his parents and nurtured by Messmer. Today, he serves as Executive Director of Employment Resources Inc., a Wisconsin-based nonprofit that advances employment opportunities, supports personal choice, and enhances the well-being of people with disabilities.

Cargile points to Messmer as the place where his career direction first took shape. Through extracurricular involvement in the Youth Health Service Corps (YHSC), he discovered an interest in public health that has since guided his professional life. 

“Professionally, Messmer set me up for success in a lot of beautiful ways,” he says.

His Messmer experience also shaped his faith journey. Volunteering at St. Ben’s Community Meal showed him how to put faith into action – an ethic of service that continues to guide his leadership on several nonprofit boards, including Milwaukee Parks Foundation, ASENTU, African Centered Rites of Passage Institute of Milwaukee, Milwaukee Youth Sports Alliance, and Seven Jewels Foundation. “My parents raised me to be in service, and Messmer prioritized service,” he reflects.

This year has been especially memorable for Cargile. He was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” Class of 2025 and honored as “Rookie Dad of the Year” by Fathers Making Progress. But of all the recognition he’s received, fatherhood means the most. 

“Being recognized as “40 Under 40” was cool. Being named “Rookie Dad of the Year” was cool. But being a dad really trumps both. It’s the best.”

Looking back, he offers this advice to current Messmer students: “Get involved! My extracurricular experiences put me on my career path. Open yourself up to opportunities because you never know where they will take you or what they will reveal to you.”