Angeline Morgado, a sophomore triple majoring in the College of Letters & Science in political science, international studies and Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian studies, has been awarded the Phi Beta Kappa Key into Public Service (KIPS) Award. Phi Beta Kappa is one of the oldest and most prestigious honor societies in the country, and it selects just 20 KIPS winners each year out of nearly 800 applicants from across the country. The Key into Public Service scholarship program emphasizes the wide range of opportunities for undergraduate students majoring in the arts and sciences to pursue rewarding careers in the public sector.
For Morgado, the award recognizes work she’s been doing since long before she came to UW–Madison. Originally from Venezuela, she immigrated to Chile when she was 12. That time in her life was a turning point, as she began to realize her passion for advocacy.
“That’s when I really found my interest in public service,” explains Morgado. “I started thinking, ‘How do I fit into this community? How can I serve? And how can I think about service in a different way?’”
As she got older, this curiosity only grew. She began learning more about the government, community organizations, volunteer groups and other ways that people were giving back. Ultimately, she discovered that community engagement was where she felt most at home. She founded the organization Incidentes to support other Latin American youth interested in public service, civic engagement and the democratization of meaningful opportunities.
She came to Wisconsin in the fall of 2024 as part of the King-Morgridge Scholars Program. King-Morgridge Scholars are students coming from countries in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, South Asia and Southeast Asia, who are selected for their interest, drive and commitment to using their talents to address poverty alleviation around the world.
She says that winning the Key award was largely a surprise and that she is honored to receive it. The award is another stepping stone in her path toward making greater change.
“Since coming to the U.S., my new focus is transnational public service,” says Morgado. “Now I’m asking, ‘How can I help the communities wherever I am?’”
Despite her ever-broadening worldview, Morgado maintains the same basic values about community engagement and how to best serve others.
“I want to keep putting communities first,” she says. “As we look to policy changes that impact communities, I’d like to see more efforts to generate and implement those policy ideas in collaboration with the communities impacted.”