24-25 UW-Madison Student Employment Award Recipients

Hometown: Appleton, WI

Major: Life Sciences Communications with a Digital Studies Certificate

Other Campus Involvement: Association of Women Agriculture, Collegiate Farm Bureau, Badger Dairy Club, and part-time employee of Wisconsin 4-H.

Graduation: May 2025

What is your favorite part of your job?

Throughout my time at UW, I have enjoyed making personal and professional relationships with my co-workers and being able to assist statewide programs for youth across the state.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your job? 

Throughout my position, I have been able to learn how to hold events at a state level and work with people of all ages and backgrounds.

Hometown: La Colonia de San Pedro, Mallorca, Spain

Major: Physics & Computer Science

Graduation: May 2026

After Graduation Plans: I’m strongly considering graduate school in physics with a focus on quantum computing. I hope to combine my skills in computer science and physics to contribute to the constraints preventing us from harnessing quantum advantage.

Until then, I’m excited to continue giving my best to our campus. If you ever see me running around Memorial Union or Union South, come say hi, I’m always happy to chat!

Other campus involvement: International Peer Mentor, Tennis, UW Nordic Team-Cross-Country Skiing (Stay tuned to see if I survive the 29K)

What is your favorite part of your job? 

My favorite part of the job at the Union is the unmeasurable amount of growth I’ve experienced, both in the shape of leadership and communication, especially considering how reserved I was before coming to Madison. Now, whether it’s by welcoming visitors during the busy summer Terrace season or helping a nervous first-year student through their first campus event, I’ve grown deeply fond of opportunities to connect with our campus. Even in high-pressure situations, whether it’s managing last-minute event changes, assisting a patron in distress, or ensuring our team operates smoothly during our hectic Badger Bash tailgates, I get to enjoy the high-energy dynamics of working for the community.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your job? 

I like to think my efforts play a small part in keeping the Wisconsin Union running. It’s an honor to serve our community by upholding the safety and operations of our campus’ heart, where our students can continue to form, as my team likes to call them, experiences for a lifetime.

Hometown: Brunei

Major: Computer Science (Honors) & Data Science

Graduation: May 2025

After Graduation Plans: I plan to pursue a Ph.D. program that bridges the fields of machine learning and healthcare/psychology. I’m excited to explore the interdisciplinary applications of AI in improving mental health outcomes and advancing medical research.

Other campus involvement: Technical Lead at WAISI (Wisconsin AI Safety Initiative), Research Assistant at Center for Healthy Minds (CHM)

What is your favorite part of your job? 

The most rewarding aspect of my role is the symbiotic relationship between learning and teaching. Each teaching opportunity presents a chance to deepen my own understanding while sharing knowledge with others. This dynamic exchange of ideas creates an environment where growth is constant and mutual.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your job? 

Through teaching, I’ve discovered my passion for continuous learning and how teaching itself reinforces that learning process. Similar to the Feynman Technique, I’ve found that explaining complex concepts to others not only helps my students grasp the material but also exposes gaps in my own understanding. This process of breaking down complex ideas into simpler terms has become an invaluable tool for deepening my own knowledge while helping others learn.

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Major: Afro-American Studies and English-Creative Writing Track, with a certificate in Gender & Women Studies

Graduation: May 2025

Other campus involvement: The Black Student Union Executive Board, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity-Incorporated Vice President, National Pan-Hellenic Council Vice President, and  House Fellow on the Black Affinity Living Experience (BALE/Essence)

What is your favorite part of your job? 

The family I get from the other intern teams and our professional staff.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your job? 

Working at the MSC has taught me how to be more open to speaking to people and patrons of the MSC, as well as speaking out to advocate for myself. It has also taught me to be vigilant, how to be honest when expressing my emotions, and how to be helpful to different people. I think that my time at the MSC has been imperative to my growth as a student because the MSC has been such a pivotal space for me during my tenure as a UW-Madison student.

Hometown: Madison, WI

Major: Social Work & Chican@ & Latin@ Studies

Graduation: May 2025

After Graduation Plans: I plan to continue my education and work towards a Master’s in Social Work!

Other campus involvement:PEOPLE Program Scholar

What is your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of my job has been the outreach element. I have had the honor of creating a variety of connections with campus partners, student organizations, and my peers. Being able to create and build on these connections has enabled a sense of community for myself both as a student and student worker and has overall made my work environment feel empowering and inviting. Without fail, there has always been someone to smile at and talk to at the Multicultural Student Center. It also makes feedback more fulfilling when you are familiar with the student body and able to cater programming to honor their passions, ideas, and cultural traditions.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your job? 

I expanded my knowledge and understanding of the importance of recognizing intersectionality, especially when it comes to Latine identities. Many students who hold a Latine identity and background have voiced that historically, they have not seen themselves represented in the greater UW student body, driving me and the student-led planning committee to focus on uplifting these underrepresented identities. This means uplifting LGBTQIA+ individuals, Afro-Latine individuals, individuals with disabilities, international students, and others within our Latine community at UW. With one of the Latine Cultural Center’s guiding principles being “empower”, it has always been our top priority to spotlight the experiences and cultures of Latine students with intersecting identities, allowing them to engage with their identities in a way that feels authentic to them.

Hometown: Diamond Bar, CA

Major: PhD in Special Education

Graduation: Currently a third year PhD student

Other Campus Involvement: Office of Special Education Program (OSEP) Scholar.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Building community around disability culture; creating supportive and joyful space with those who participate in the Disability Cultural Center events.

What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your job? 

First and foremost, working at the Disability Cultural Center broadens and deepens my perspectives on disability identity and culture because everyone experiences it in their unique way. It also continues to strengthen my event management and facilitation skills.

Ashley Schladweiler is currently working as an Manager at the School of Human Ecology Advising & Career Center. In her role, Ashley oversees the front desk operations and the front desk student workers as well as the academic advising intern. Ashley also plans the milestone events for the school which include the new student welcome and the undergraduate reception. Aside from those duties, Ashley is also an active participant in the UW-Madison Student Supervisor Community of Practice.

Ashley’s favorite part of supervising students is watching them turn into leaders and finding their place on the team. She feels she has been so lucky to have students that are willing to grow and try new things- whether it’s their own idea or from someone else on their team.

Ashley wants to encourage all student employees to talk to your supervisor about the kind of experience you’re looking for. Ashley loves being able to tailor the experience as much as possible to what will benefit and challenge the student, because that is when you really get to see them flourish and that’s the most rewarding part.