Badger Volunteers Alumna Shuka Konishi Connects Public Service and Medicine
By Sammie Garrity l October 29, 2026
For Shuka Konishi, staying connected to the people and communities around her has been a driving force throughout her academic and professional career. From spending over three years as a Badger Volunteer, to conducting research and preparing for a career in medicine, her experiences have reaffirmed the value of fostering reciprocal relationships and learning through service.
Today, Konishi is a second-year medical student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, working to carry those values into her education and future career in health care.
During her time as an undergraduate at UW–Madison, Konishi was an active Badger Volunteer, working with multiple community partners throughout the years. She tutored high school students in algebra, helped provide books to incarcerated LGBTQIA+ individuals and spent many hours volunteering at the River Food Pantry. These experiences connected her with people from different backgrounds, strengthening her understanding of the challenges facing the Dane County community beyond UW–Madison.
“There are people from all different walks of life who need help,” Konishi says. “Whether it’s a short-term situation or a more long-term need — whether it impacts individuals or entire families — it can really look like anything.”
Much of her time with Badger Volunteers was spent at the River Food Pantry. She first started volunteering there in 2019 and returned for multiple semesters, building relationships with staff, volunteers and community members. Since graduating in 2022, Konishi has continued volunteering at the pantry, balancing her medical school schedule with shifts dedicated to preparing meals for the Madison community.
Over the years, Konishi has watched the organization expand, move locations and strengthen its services while maintaining the same welcoming atmosphere she experienced as an undergraduate.
“It’s been really cool to see the growth and change, but also the same energy that I liked before,” Konishi says.
Beyond her volunteer commitments, Konishi was a Badger Volunteers Intern, served on the Badger Volunteers Executive Board, and worked on the community development team. Through these roles, she spent her junior and senior year not only volunteering, but also organizing social and community events that encouraged students to connect and learn about resources available through the Morgridge Center and the Madison community. She gained experience in event planning, community building and student engagement, all skills she continues to use today.
After graduating from UW–Madison in 2022, Konishi explored several career paths before deciding to pursue medicine. She conducted entomology research at UW–Madison and later worked at the Waisman Center studying Alexander disease, a rare neurological disorder. She also worked as a caregiver for an individual with multiple sclerosis and became a certified nursing assistant on a hospital’s hematology-oncology floor.
While scientific research initially appealed to Konishi, she found herself drawn toward working directly with people in patient care. Looking back, she realized that many of the things she valued in healthcare were also present in her volunteer experiences.
“It’s a pattern that’s been present, and being able to volunteer with people is one of the main ways I learned that patient care and face-to-face communication is something I value in my day-to-day life,” Konishi says.
Now in medical school, Konishi continues to build on her experiences in community engagement. She is involved with the Asian Pacific American Medical Students Association, where she helps coordinate community meals, social events and other opportunities for connection. This past summer, she also helped organize a blood pressure screening event at the Wisconsin Asian Summer Festival.
“I still do the things now that I was taught through the community development team at Badger Volunteers,” Konishi says.
For Konishi, these experiences show how getting involved with one organization or opportunity can open doors to new relationships and experiences.
“I think it’s just that give and take where taking part in something usually connects you to other things as well,” Konishi says.
One of the main benefits of Badger Volunteers is that students get the opportunity to meet people and encounter challenges and ways of life that they wouldn’t otherwise experience. Through her time in the program, Konishi gained a deeper understanding of the different circumstances that shape people’s lives, and these perspectives are critical as she prepares to work with patients from a wide range of backgrounds.
Konishi hopes to become a physician who looks beyond the medical needs of her patients and helps connect them with resources outside a clinical setting. To help achieve this, she spent the past summer working in a Wisconsin Alzheimer’s externship, learning about Madison organizations that provide support and resources to individuals and families affected by Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
“Wherever I end up practicing, I hope to be really involved in the community and be able to ensure that the patients I work with are connected to resources that they might not be aware of,” Konishi says.
Looking ahead, she is anticipating the start of clinical rotations and is excited to explore different specialties. Her current interests include neurology and psychiatry, although her broader career path is still evolving.
For students interested in public service or learning about it for the first time, Konishi encourages them to take advantage of the opportunities and resources the Morgridge Center has to offer.
“I have no regrets about joining Badger Volunteers,” Konishi says. “There’s always going to be someone to help you get connected to service.”