The Wisconsin Experience in California
UW student Molly Morrissey, right, works alongside University of Oregon professor Robert Kyr Sunday at a Los Angeles-area food pantry. Kyr’s father played football for the Badgers. Photo: University Communications
The Wisconsin Experience describes what’s unique about getting a degree from UW–Madison: that together, we create and apply learning inside and outside the classroom to make the world a better place. That’s exactly what happened during this year’s Rose Bowl in California.
Cooperation replaced rivalry the day before the Rose Bowl as groups of volunteers from UW– Madison and the University of Oregon wore the same T-shirts and worked side-by-side at a local food pantry in Van Nuys, California. The Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles SOVA Community Food and Resource Program provides free groceries and services to more than 13,000 people of all ages and backgrounds each month. Volunteers, including Dean of Students Lori Berquam, sorted and packed food to prepare for distribution to the organization’s clients.
Lauren Gould, a junior from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, who is majoring in elementary education, described her experience as one of the highlights of her Rose Bowl trip.
“That morning, as I worked side-by-side with Oregon and Wisconsin fans, I felt a new level of Badger pride. I realized moments like this are the Wisconsin Experience: the opportunity to use my UW education to impact communities across the nation.”