Previously the Excellence in Civic Engagement Undergraduate Award, the Morgridge Center for Public Service has named the Excellence in Civic Engagement Undergraduate Award after Senator Fred Risser.
The Fred Risser Excellence in Civic Engagement Undergraduate Award will recognize an undergraduate student who has made civic engagement integral to their college experience. Senator Risser has concluded an extraordinary career in elected office here in Wisconsin. It’s safe to say that without your leadership on the State Building Commission dating back as far as 1960, the UW–Madison campus would not be what it is today.
Here at UW, we want to honor his long and steadfast commitment to public service. The mission of the Morgridge Center is to connect campus to community through service and learning to build a thriving democratic society. Your decades of service in both the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate are a truly remarkable example of this pursuit.
Award winners receive a $400 one time scholarship.
2024: Claudia Liverseed
2023: Brelynn Bille
2022: Alli Burgdorf
2021: Tamia Fowlkes
2020: Payton Wade
2019: Shasparay Lighteard
2018: Taylor Gilbertson
2017: Katherine Kokkinias
2016: Dania Shoukfeh
2015: Jacob Riederer
2014: Caitlin DeVos
2013: Allison Gundlach
2012: Katie Crean
2011: Jennifer Mathison & Allison Frankel
2010: Molly Reddy
2009: Casmir Turnquist-Held
2008: Laura Marie Scheinholtz
2007: Jenna Klink
> 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 Recipient Ximena Sánchez
Ximena has demonstrated commitment to civic engagement through her leadership, advocacy, and community service…and has actively contributed to multiple organizations’ executive boards that uplift marginalized communities, particularly within the Latine and undocumented student populations.
The organizations that she’s worked with include the Multicultural Student Center, DREAMers of UW-Madison, ChiLaCSA, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., and the Latine Pre-Law Student Association.
From her nominator: “Her personal growth has transformed her into a leader who not only recognizes the barriers that affect her community but actively works to positively influence them, ensuring that others have access to opportunities and support.”