This year the award goes to Slow Food UW.

Slow Food UW actively works to incorporate effective program planning, innovation, leadership service, valued membership, and social justice into their mission and the events and programs they host each year. They embody the Wisconsin Experience and the value of “learning by doing.”  Since their founding in 2007, this group has developed five unique projects that allow their members to better understand a social justice issue, learn new skills, educate, serve the community, and make connections across the state.  In an effort to re-frame the conversation around our current food system, this student org offers unique opportunities to work closely with farmers, local food suppliers, the campus community and the broader Madison community.  Their dedication to food as a social justice issue has led this group to expand their programming beyond campus to include collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, to offer cooking classes for local residents and teens, and to work in South Madison to promote healthy eating and celebrate diverse food cultures. Slow Food UW is the essence of the Wisconsin Experience because of the way they connect local products for consumption, while also involving students from every angle and every aspect. They are role models for future generations. (slowfooduw.com)

This year the award went to She’s the First.

She’s the First was formed in the Spring of 2012 on the basis to promote girls’ education in developing countries so that they may be the first in their families to graduate.  They strive to promote awareness on the UW campus about major issues involving education and inequity as well as fostering global citizenship and leadership skills in its members. There are two large events they have put on since becoming an organization.  The first was a Two Day tie dye cupcake sale over $500 to students in Guatemala.  The Second was a screening of the documentary Half the Sky, based on a New York Times bestselling book about the true stories of oppression of women worldwide. She’s the First brought in a  “panel of experts” to guide discussion and answer questions post-film and over 120 students were in attendance! The organization gained nearly 50 members in its first semester and did so via the student organization fair, social media and by beginning to develop campus partnerships. They have seven executive board members and members can also be chair of one of their three committees, which are community service, PR/campus outreach and fundraising.  So they work very hard to give members the ability to foster and develop their leadership skills. They continue to strive for further excellence through various goals. They want to diversify our membership in terms of gender because women alone cannot conquer gender inequality. They plan to do this by reaching out to departments such as International Studies, Educational Policy Studies, and Law. They want to continue to raise money for girls’ education in developing countries through creative fundraisers that reach beyond campus to the Madison community through events like a cocktail party and silent auction at the Museum of Contemporary Art and a “Field Day” event in April for families and children in Madison. She’s the First will continue to spread awareness and passion for our cause by hosting a summit on campus during the UN international day of the girl week with speakers, breakout sessions, panels and a celebration.  Lastly, they strive to make an impact in the lives of young girls in the local community through partnering with local volunteer organizations such as Girls on the Run. 
(http://win.wisc.edu/organization/shesthefirst/about)

This year’s award went to Shawn Harris.

Shawn served as a UW Housefellow in Witte Hall for two years, and he has been an active participant in the On-Ramp precollege program on Madison’s Southwest side since his freshman year.  Shawn distinguished himself as a campus leader by founding the Wisconsin Association of Black Men on the UW-Madison campus.  Through his leadership, the Wisconsin Association of Black Men provided a space for black males to be welcomed, supported and listened to  on campus.  They have provided a number of outreach opportunities that has improved understanding on racial issues across campus.  Shawn lead the group to be recognized as Bucky’s most outstanding organization in 2011, and he was asked to travel to the University of Leeds in England, to speak on black male achievement in higher education.   Shawn has certainly distinguished himself as a leader on campus, and well deserving of this award.

This year’s award went to Megan Ketterhagen.

Megan describes feeling part of something big here at UW-Madison. Her patience and reliability is demonstrated through volunteerism with multiple groups in the Madison community, ranging from elementary school students to seniors in an assisted living home. She has developed her leadership potential through the Student Leadership Program, where she has learned about her own leadership style and how to use her style with others in order to achieve the most good for the most people. Before the fall semester even began, she jump-started her Wisconsin Experience with laboratory work in cutting-edge cancer research. And she gives voice to her own experience as a survivor by delivering motivational speeches on behalf of the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Fund.

This year, the award was given to two recipients: Bob Friedel and Rebekah Blocker.

Bob Friedel:
Bob is a student who clearly loves being at UW-Madison.  He took that love and passion, and saw a need to help other students understand the history and the impact the University of Wisconsin has on our world.  Bob founded and lead the Wisconsin Spirit Initiative, a program that helped raise student awareness of and participation in the Wisconsin Idea and the Wisconsin Experience.  He partnered with campus units, including University Housing, WAA and our student group WASB, to host awareness events and programs through the year.  The result of his work is a more connected, more cohesive and understanding group of fellow students, who will go out and along with Bob continue to live their lives in the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea.

Rebekah Blocker:
As a student Rebekah established an impressive record as an ambassador for UW-Madison and higher education. She has been a leader in her sorority, an officer in the Black Student Union and she worked as a diversity educator at the MultiCultural Student Coalition.  She partnered with a wide variety of campus and community groups to reach to students in high school, opening their eyes to the possibility of higher eduation and UW-Madison. Rebekah’s reach on campus was broad, and her impact was meaningful.  She is the kind of student that makes all of us proud, and I know she will continue to great things.

This year’s award went to Alex Kuehn.

Alex Kuehn’s unique mark on campus has improved the academic and social transition for UW-Madison's newest transfer students. He has taken an impressive lead in launching UW-Madison's new Transfer Ambassador program, which connects all incoming transfer students with an experienced transfer student mentor who serves as a peer resource. He couples that work with volunteerism in the Madison community and a leadership position in Pres House where he works towards the organization’s goals of outreach and charity. He proposed, organized, trained for, and led a team of seven UW students and staff to run the 2012 Chicago Marathon, and together they raised over $10,000 to support World Vision’s clean water projects…enough to provide clean water for over 200 people for their entire lives. What’s most impressive, however, is his reflections on the Wisconsin Idea and how it inspires him to act with integrity, use his education to benefit the larger community, and pay it forward.

This year’s award went to ASK.LISTEN.SAVE.

This organization was developed to eliminate the stigma of suicide and depression on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. While collaborating with other student organizations that focus on mental health related issues, this organization aims to teach the student body how to ask their fellow students who are experiencing symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts if they are okay. Listen to what they have to say, and, if needed, serve as a student bridge to the UHS Counseling services to help save a life. In addition to frequent events and programming, the organization’s most well-known philanthropic endeavor is the annual Suicide Prevention Walk. Their 3rd annual walk was hosted a little over a week ago and was once again very successful. The walk brings many of the different mental-health focused student organizations out to show the diversity of resources the campus has to offer when it comes to mental health. Additionally, the walk serves a therapeutic purpose for those walking in remembrance of friends and family that they have lost to suicide. This event has been recognized as the “#1 Fundraising Walk in the Nation,” by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, as they have raised over $55,000 for the cause in the first two years of this walk. (http://www.asklistensave.org/)