For Karissa Garcia, a fourth-year student studying chemical engineering, Badger Volunteers has been the most impactful way for her to engage with the Madison community beyond classes and campus.
Garcia discovered Badger Volunteers after her friend suggested they try something new together during freshman year. What began as a simple way to connect, has since grown to be a defining part of her college experience. Five semesters later, Garcia and her friend are still active team leaders in Badger Volunteers, doing their part for the Madison community every week.
“It’s a great way for us to stay connected and meet up as friends,” she says.
Garcia’s first volunteer site was with Madison International Partners (MIP) where she worked with their English Conversation Programs, helping international residents acclimate to life and language in America. This volunteer opportunity gave Garcia the chance to connect with people from all across the globe and also gain an understanding of Madison’s diversity.
“I didn’t realize how big of an immigrant population there is here,” Garcia says. “It was really interesting to meet people from so many different backgrounds.”
Through this program, Garcia met people from many different countries and continents including Russia, China, South America and Ukraine.
After her time at MIP ended, Garcia shifted gears to volunteering with Bayview Foundation’s after-school program. There, she helps the permanent staff lead activities and games for its resident’s youth. She helps prepare food for them, walks them from the bus stop, plays games and does activities like football, crafts and baking.
Every week looks a little different, but the connections Garcia has been able to form with the kids is what keeps her coming back every week, and what makes the broader experience so meaningful.
“It’s really rewarding when kids run up to you and hug you whenever they see you,” she says.
Her time with Badger Volunteers has given her the opportunity to see many parts of Madison that she likely would have never even heard about without this experience. While her role at Bayview is focused around helping out with the kids, she has also been exposed to their broader impact in the community, learning about programs in affordable housing, community meals and food pantries.
“It’s something I wouldn’t have known existed if I had just stayed on campus,” Garcia says.
Beyond just being exposed to broader parts of Madison, Garcia believes volunteering gives her lifelong skills she can apply long after her time in Madison comes to a close.
“Being able to talk with people that you’re maybe not very similar to and figuring out how to find commonalities between you is really important,” she says. “You can learn from those differences.”
These communication and relationship-building skills will also play a large role in Garcia’s career. After spending the past summer interning in sales engineering, she plans to pursue a role combining problem solving with client connection. Volunteering, she says, has helped prepare her for those interactions.
Even with a very demanding chemical engineering workload, Garcia finds that volunteering provides a good escape and manageable balance outside of academics. In fact, she was intentionally searching for something outside of her major to gain a small break from her courseload.
Badger Volunteers dedicate one day a week for a few hours to their community partner, making it accessible for students with even the busiest schedules to get involved.
“I wanted to do something that wasn’t STEM-related, just because it’s so intensive in my life,” she says. “Working with kids gives me a break from that world of really intense classes.”
As she approaches graduation, she wants to continue volunteering and making the same impact in her community that she made in Madison. For her, it’s the relationships you can build that are the most impactful part of the experience.
Badger Volunteers gives you the opportunity to start your public service journey in any sector you could think of, for all time commitments, and all majors.
“There are so many different opportunities,” she says. “You can continue to find things that click with you, and it gives you a chance to build relationships while also seeing more of the Madison community.”
By Sammie Garrity