Students

First-generation college student Alexandra Pleasant is writing her own path forward.

They’re politically savvy and well-versed in policy. But a group of political science students wants to do something practically unheard of in today’s partisan landscape: Listen to each other.

Each summer, hundreds of UW–Madison students spread out across the globe for internships. They gain vital job skills — that’s a given. They also explore new cities, discover foreign cultures, and have a lot of fun. We caught up with seven students to learn a little more about their experiences.

La Maison Française marks a century of creating cultural connections for students and the broader Madison community.

It was a gray Friday afternoon, cloudy and unusually chilly for September, with a heavy chance of rain. Most of the sailing classes offered through Wisconsin Hoofers had been canceled for the day — except for physics student Jay Chan’s sailing lesson, which he prepared for eagerly despite the darkening skies.

Rivka Maizlish studies folk music, folklore, folk art, folk medicine – but she is not a folklorist. Maizlish is an intellectual historian, about to embark on a fellowship with the Smithsonian Institute to dive more deeply into the question, how did people in 20th century America define folk?

Today, satellites and digital mapping tools have turned modern cartography -- the science and art of map-making -- into a technology-driven field. With accuracy all but guaranteed, new ways of visualizing space have emerged in the process. They mix art, experience and topography, approaching the physical world through the lens of time, perspective and storytelling.

Psychology major Beata Nelson began her swimming journey where any kid who loves the water might: at the neighborhood pool. Time spent there playing with friends quickly grew into swimming on club teams, competing for her high school, and committing to Wisconsin. And once a Badger, she found that her teammates offered the strongest support system she’d ever experienced.

When Gerald Porter, Jr., enrolled in a journalism fact-checking class, he was apprehensive about wading into politics. How could he distill accuracy among all the claims, attacks and spin? Would there even be verifiable truths to be found? And in this era of political polarization, would anyone actually care about facts?