Connecting Campus and Community through Community-based Service, Learning, and Research
For UW–Madison students Joslyn DeGuzman and Daily Yang, being first-generation college students means more than just pursuing a degree. It is about building on their families' experiences, exploring new opportunities and finding a sense of belonging along the way.
In 2024, Sara McKinnon, a volunteer with the Community Immigration Law Center (CILC) in Madison, was assisting people with their asylum application forms. During her shift, McKinnon chatted with a staff member who said the center was having trouble maintaining consistent Spanish-speaking volunteers—a challenge for a nonprofit that relies heavily on them.
The Early Career Fellows program is a new, yearlong learning community for staff and graduate students at UW–Madison with an interest in conducting high-quality, collaborative community-engaged scholarship.
In this episode of the GridgeFridge, we sit down with Mary Beth Collins to discuss the power of community engagement, civic responsibility and preparing the next generation of changemakers through nonprofit work and advocacy.
Badger Volunteers Educate is giving mentorship a fresh start, connecting UW–Madison students with local youth through more consistent, semester-long tutoring opportunities.
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.
For many Muslim students, pursuing an career in science can come with questions about how their religious and cultural identities fit into those STEM fields. Through the Wisconsin Idea Fellowship, a team of UW–Madison students is working to educate Wisconsin communities and students that faith and science can go hand in hand.
UW-Madison students pursuing the Leadership Certificate can now earn leadership certificate hours in the trainings and workshops category by listening to the Morgridge Center for Public Service podcast, GridgeFridge.
In this episode of GridgeFridge, we sit down with Esther Kang, an assistant professor of design studies in the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. With a background in art, and social and civic design, Esther has built a career rooted in exploring how design shapes communities, public participation and the systems people interact with every day.
At UW–Madison, Dua Ci Khang works to prepare aspiring healthcare professionals through collaborative programming with campus and community partners. Her work includes initiatives such as the EMT Experience program and the Health Professions Shadowing Program, which provide students with opportunities to explore healthcare careers and gain firsthand experience in the field before graduation.