On the weekend of Sept. 22-23, alumni of color from the College of Letters & Science returned to Madison for the latest in a series of [RE] CONNECT events designed to celebrate community and showcase the best of L&S.
Checkout some of the highlights taken by L&S photography intern Isabelle Delfosse.
The centerpiece of the weekend was a live taping of the L&S Elevate podcast at Hamel Music Center, hosted by Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion DeVon Wilson. A panel of experts from across the College discussed the notion of revisiting and revitalizing the Wisconsin Idea. (Pictured from left to right: L&S Associate Dean DeVon Wilson; Dr. Cora Marrett ’68, Former Acting Director of the National Science Foundation, Professor Emerita of Sociology, and member of the L&S Board of Visitors; Brenda González, UW–Madison’s Director of Community Relations; Dr. Christy Clark-Pujara, Department Chair and Professor of African American Studies; and Dr. Lucas Zoet, Associate Professor of Geoscience.)
Emerita professor Cora Marrett centered the Elevate panel discussion on the ways the Wisconsin Idea has shifted in the modern era, and what that means for underrepresented communities on campus today.
“We took the scraps that were around us and made something out of nothing.” Students from the First Wave Spoken Word and Hip-Hop Arts Learning Community put on a riveting performance for the [RE] CONNECT crowd, blending history and the idea of triumphing over adversity into an unforgettable multimedia experience. Check out a recording of the full performance online.
After the First Wave performance, attendees convened in the Hamel Music Center lobby for a gala celebration, featuring dancing and music spun by DJay Mando (’16).
Guests enjoyed the evening reconnecting with each other in the state-of-the-art Hamel Music Center, which opened in 2019.
After wowing the crowd with her spoken-word performance, First Wave scholar-performer Teja Davis (left) relaxed with guests in the Hamel lobby.
Bucky Badger stopped by to share in the festivities.
Josh Woolfolk (left) and Sociology alum Torsheika Maddox (right) enjoying the festivities.
L&S alumni and guests enjoyed hors d'oeuvres with and First Wave Academic Advisor and Outreach Coordinator Gia P. Euler-Plath (center) and Technical Events Director Salima Seale (right).
An enjoyable evening was had by all, reconnecting with alumni and friends.