The Louis Korenman Badger Volunteers Award honors a student who exemplifies the spirit of the Badger Volunteers community and, like Louis, considers volunteering a central part of their college experience. The Louis Korenman Badger Volunteers Award is presented to a Badger Volunteer for whom volunteering was a central part of their college experience and excels in the following areas:
Commitment to Service within a Community: the nominee embraces service as a central part of their UW experience, and recognizes the importance of contributing to the community in a meaningful way that respects the organization while honoring the civic and social issues they aim to work with.
Awareness of Self and Others: the nominee is dedicated to self-reflection to identify strengths and areas of growth to inform ongoing personal development as well as understanding of others. The nominee works to build meaningful mutually beneficial relationships.
Embodiment of the Badger Volunteers Spirit: the nominee exudes the spirit and energy of the Badger Volunteers community and serves as a positive ambassador and model of Badger Volunteers within both campus and the broader community.
Award winners will receive a $400 one time scholarship and will be honored on Monday, April 7 as part of the 2025 Wisconsin Idea Conference.
2024: Adbulkareem Alshanqiti, Candace May, and Sam Deibert
2023: Sabrina Oh
2022: Emily Merkel
2021: Akshay Kalra
2020: Chandler Krajco
2019: Kimberly Baeb and Grace Swanson
2018: Gabrielle Heytens
2017: Carol Silva
2016: Dean Bowen
2015: Kaitlyn Shaughnessy
2014: Aaron Vogt
2013: Jewel Rose
2012: Andrea Radi
2011: Jessica Boebel
As a student at UW–Madison, Louis dedicated much of his time to helping others, including his friends. Service and caring for his community was central to his way of life. Even while studying abroad in London, he volunteered to provide support to the homeless and to tutor disadvantaged students.
As a Badger Volunteer, Louis spent two years empowering and supporting youth at Madison community centers. Those who worked with him appreciated his patience and dedication to the students. However, perhaps more remarkable, was his sincere commitment to building relationships and demonstrating genuine care for his community. One particular example involved Louis’ childhood Lego collection. After several weeks of volunteering, he asked his family to mail his enormous collection to UW, all the way from New Jersey. Louis then donated them to the center so the kids could enjoy them as much as he had. He took joy in giving joy to others.
The recipient of this award is encouraged to carry on Louis’ goodwill by touching others’ lives in a meaningful way. Louis saw the good qualities of people first, rather than making quick judgments. If people give others a chance, the possibilities for positive change are endless.
> ENGAGED ALUMNI AWARD
> EXCELLENCE IN ENGAGED SCHOLARSHIP GRADUATE STUDENT AWARD
> FRED RISSER EXCELLENCE IN ENGAGED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AWARD
> GINSBERG FAMILY AWARD
> LOUIS KORENMAN BADGER VOLUNTEERS AWARD
> NEWMAN CIVIC FELLOWSHIP
> STUDENT ACTIVISM AWARD
Any questions or concerns? Email: jramirez27@wisc.edu.
2025 Louis Korenman Badger Volunteers Application Form
Fill out the application form below. Note that there is a possibility your answers won't be saved if you exit or leave this page. In the event that you may need to return to this page, please save your answers on a separate document. The deadline to apply is Monday, Feb. 24 at 5pm.
2024 Recipient Adbulkareem Alshanqiti
Abdulkareem Alshanquiti is a first-year international student in engineering who dedicated both semesters of Badger Volunteers to the same local community center, Neighborhood House. As a food pantry and general program assistant, he stocked, cleaned, organized, and helped customers at the center’s food pantry as well as supporting other center-wide needs as they came up.
He also continued to support the center during winter break on his own time when Badger Volunteers was not in session. During the spring semester, Abdulkareem took on the role of Badger Volunteer team leader, inspiring his team members as a role model with his energy and enthusiasm.
Neighborhood House nominated him for this award due to his commitment, reliability, and dedication to enhancing his self-awareness and understanding of others.
2024 Recipient Candace May
Candace May is a first-year student in education who also volunteered both semesters this year with the MSCR after school program at Milele Chikasa Anana Elementary School. Candace brought her whole self when communicating and listening to the youth she engaged each week.
She was committed to being a role model and consistently provided a positive, accepting support network for Anana after school students. The site supervisor at Anana nominated Candace for this award due to the enthusiasm, dedication, and welcoming nature she exhibited every week in community with kids, saying “If every volunteer could be as welcoming, kind, and dedicated as her, the community would be an even better place.”
2024 Recipient Sam Deibert
Samuel Diebert is a second-year student in business who volunteered with the MSCR after school program at Milele Chikasa Anana Elementary School for both semesters this past year.
In the previous academic year, Sam volunteered with Friends of Lake Wingra. He has also served as team leader during all three semesters he has been involved in Badger Volunteers. During his time at Anana, Sam exemplified a commitment to fully engaging with the elementary school students in a caring, kind, and committed manner.
The Site Supervisor at Anana nominated him for this award due to his commitment to being a role model for youth, and the positive, supportive nature in which he served as a role model for his team members, afterschool youth, and school staff.