In the evenings after a day at work, around eight students arrive at Literacy Network on the southside of Madison to attend class.
The class, which aims to enhance participants’ general English speaking skills, is designed to prepare learners with language skills that prepare individuals to earn a GED, further their citizenship process, build computer skills, and so much more. Across this class and other Literacy Network programming, the organization provides vital support to Dane County residents learning English as a Second Language (ESL). The courses are specifically tailored to residents working to reach their career goals and be more involved in the community.
UW junior Amy Liang was a Literacy Network intern for four semesters, where she created personalized lesson plans for each of her eight students based on their goals and interests. Over her time with Literacy Network, Liang noticed a pattern in the topics students requested.
“A big topic that a lot of [the students] were really interested in was learning how to go to the doctor, learning how to go to the dentist and being able to advocate for themselves in those settings,” Liang says.
Liang, who’s known about the Wisconsin Idea Fellowship (WIF) since her senior year of high school, when she was enrolled at UW for college credit, thought this funding opportunity would be the perfect chance to help address a community-identified challenge. Here, the challenge for Literacy Network students is health literacy.
The fellowships are awarded annually by the Morgridge Center to undergraduate students working to advance the Wisconsin Idea by collaborating with community partners and an academic staff member. Liang is a junior studying neurobiology and political science, and her project was one of ten selected to receive the fellowship for the 2025-26 cycle.
After being awarded the fellowship, Liang hit the ground running over the summer, refining her plans to develop the most accessible and effective version possible of her health literacy curriculum.
“I didn’t want to have to set apart a separate time that maybe a lot of people wouldn’t be able to make,” Liang says. “[We were] changing the project, so it would be better to fit into their class schedules, which we already know that they are able to go to.”
Liang credits Zoua M. Vang, a School of Human Ecology professor, as a substantial support system through the development of the project. Liang also works alongside the Literacy Network to determine what topics would be most essential in her curriculum.
“It was really important to me to talk to the Literacy Network because they know their students very well,” Liang says. “I was able to get feedback from the Student Leadership Council, which is made up of Literacy Network students to inform decisions that the organization makes.”
Liang also works together with Director of English as a Second Language (ESL) Tutoring Leanne Chan, specifically, to develop topics that would be particularly helpful for Dane County residents, like community health resource access and insurance information.
“I was delighted when Amy brought this project idea during her internship at Literacy Network, and I’m so excited that this project is happening now in collaboration together,” Chan says in an emailed statement. “Many of our students are immigrants and refugees learning the English language, so we often combine learning English with learning about topics that help students navigate different everyday situations.”
At this stage in her project, Liang is organizing surveys for trial running the curriculum and designing assessments to better understand how learners are experiencing the topics. Once the topics are tweaked and finalized, Liang hopes the Literacy Network students will have official access to the health literacy curriculum at the end of November.
“My number one goal is … that they will have something to take away from the curriculum to better help themselves and be able to help their community as well,” Liang says.
The priority deadline for 2026-27 WIF applications is Sunday, Jan. 4, and the final deadline is Sunday, Feb. 8. Learn more about WIF, and find an info session here.
By Sophie Wooldridge