Every year, we recognize the outstanding students, community partners, faculty, and alumni who make a difference in the community and advance the Wisconsin Idea.
This year, we celebrated our fifth annual Be the Change Bash in Memorial Union’s Tripp Commons. Our thanks goes out to all who joined in celebrating the incredible work that has been done throughout the year.
Though the academic year may be coming to a close, we know that the tireless work of our partners in the community and our students and staff on campus will continue to move the Wisconsin Idea forward. Click here to see photos from the evening.
We would like to extend a special thank you to our Faculty Director Dr. Earlise Ward who offered kind and inspiring remarks during the event. In January, she joined the Morgridge Center for Public Service as faculty director.
Our congratulations goes out to all our award winners and nominees. Their passion for community and service is an inspiration to all of us. And we have to thank our Awards Review Committee for their dedication to reading applications and selecting our winners. The following award winners are:
Achievement Connections Volunteer Award
Dillon is a committed volunteer at East High School, who brings enthusiasm, diligence, and patience to his service. Fostering growth in math is vital to our program and he works hard to balance creating space for learning and providing autonomy for student growth. Read more.
Outstanding Community Partner Award
The Lussier Community Education Center has always been a place for people from different walks of life to come together, share gifts and build community. The Lussier Community Education Center provides an authentic community partnership. Read more.
Engaged Scholarship Graduate Student Award
Marlo has been deeply committed to the Lussier Community Education Center for the last four years. She began as a graduate assistant, a part of the Baldwin Wisconsin Idea grant, closely working with the Youth Action Program developing and teaching curriculum all while fostering mentorship with students. Read more.
Excellence in Civic Engagement Undergraduate Award
Shasparay served her community with her Humanities Exchange-Undergraduate Project; Black Arts Matters (BAM). Black Arts Matter successfully inaugurated a week-long Madison-based arts project geared toward supporting Black Artists including African-American, Caribbean, Afro-Latinx and African Diaspora. Read more.
Louis Korenman Badger Volunteers Award
Kimberly’s dedication to the River Food Pantry is impressive and well maintained. She cultivates a great work environment with the community partner and the volunteers. Grace has proven to be a huge asset at the Red Caboose. She embodies commitment and reliability and always goes above and beyond engaging with our team and volunteers. Read more.
Badger Volunteers Team Award
Gio’s Garden does a phenomenal job jumping in when needed, especially in stressful situations. In the words of their nominator, they are “genuine, caring, intelligent young women who are loved by both the kids and staff.” Read more.
Engaged Alumni Award
During the 2016-17 school year, Megan served as an intern with the Morgridge Center for Public Service and UW-South Madison Partnership. In her words, her internship experience provided an opportunity to gain insight into working with and supporting community members of marginalized identities. Read more.
Newman Civic Fellowship Award
As a young person, growing up in West St Paul, Emi organized community clean-ups, health awareness events and sustainability conferences. Currently, she is the social justice intern at the MultiCultural Student Center where she develops social justice workshops and facilitates conversations towards a more inclusive and equitable UW community. Read more.