The Bucky’s Award Ceremony is an event where students and student organizations have the opportunity to be recognized for their hard work on campus and in the community. If you have any questions about the ceremony or how to apply please contact slp@studentlife.wisc.edu.
2023 Bucky's Award Winners
Outstanding Freshman Award: Isabelle Bubnick
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Liyana Taib
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Epsilon Delta Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
Award Descriptions
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Best Advisor Award
This award recognizes an advisor who excels in guiding their students and/or organization to success. They provide a welcoming, inclusive, and enthusiastic environment to all. This advisor positively challenges and supports the individual or group in order to achieve an overall goal or mission statement.
Nominators may be placed by both undergraduate and graduate students or student organizations.
Best New Organization Award
This award is given to a student organization that was founded within the last three academic years. They are awarded for their member participation, the successes they have had, and the unique contributions they bring to campus and the surrounding community. In addition, this organization has a plan for continued growth and achievement in future years and wants to continue to be a successful organization on campus.
Conservation and Sustainability Award
This award recognizes an organization or an individual that has gone above and beyond to better their community in terms of sustainability and conservation. This student or organization demonstrates that they have had an impact on the Madison campus and community in helping to move toward a more sustainable environment.
Dean's Award of Excellence
This award is presented to a student organization that excels in three pillars: Wisconsin Experience, Discovery, and Innovation. The Wisconsin Experience revolves around the idea that together we create and apply learning inside and outside of the classroom to make the world a better place. Therefore, this organization actively works to incorporate effective program planning, innovation, leadership service, valued membership, and social justice into their mission and the events and programs they host each year.
Excellence in Post-Graduate Preparation
This award recognizes a student organization that excels in preparing its members for the future. Whether it is through networking sessions with members of the field, job fairs, or internships, this organization greatly values providing its members with outstanding employment and co-curricular opportunities that will allow them to succeed in the post-graduate world.
Global Citizenship Award
This award is given to an ambitious student in regards to his or her experience while abroad. It recognizes a student’s efforts to increase his or her awareness to global issues whether it is through an internship, a class, or a volunteer project. In addition, this student applies different skills and values acquired through their experience abroad to better improve themselves as well as their surrounding community.
Health and Wellness Award
This award is given to an ambitious student or student organization that excels in promoting and achieving overall health and wellness on campus. This student or student group has shown excellent skill in promoting health, providing resources to campus to improve wellness, and working toward improving the overall well being of the UW Madison community.
Inclusivity Award
This award is presented to an organization that fosters learning opportunities, contributes to the scholastic and leadership growth for its members, and focuses on fostering interactions between members. This organization believes inclusivity revolves around a strong relationship between its members and dedicates extra time towards building those relationships. This organization also excels in promoting awareness and offering events surrounding social justice in order to foster an organization built on the fundamentals of equality.
This award honors outstanding student leaders who have made a significant impact on the University of Wisconsin campus and surrounding community. These students have demonstrated strong leadership skills through outstanding initiative, meaningful involvement, and measurable influence on students, citizens, or programming.
Individual Leadership Award
This award honors outstanding student leaders who have made a significant impact on the University of Wisconsin campus and surrounding community. These students have demonstrated strong leadership skills through outstanding initiative, meaningful involvement, and measurable influence on students, citizens, or programming.
Most Involved Award
This award is given to an ambitious student in regards to campus involvement. This student is well rounded in their interests, actively involved in multiple organizations and programs on campus. This student applies the different skills acquired in the organizations to better improve themselves, the students on campus, and the surrounding community.
Outstanding First-Year Student Award
This award goes to a freshman who has shown their ability to be a leader on campus and in the surrounding community. This student shows strong interest in furthering their involvement in a student organization, program, or cause and to create a unique mark on the UW community. In addition, this student has taken initiative within their involvement and encompasses important values and ideals of the “Wisconsin Experience”.
Outstanding Leadership Award
This award recognizes a student organization that has excelled in their use of leadership skills to work towards a positive change on campus or in the surrounding community. This organization has demonstrated excellence in the core values of the UW-Madison Leadership Framework, which include integrity, inclusive engagement, and connection with the community. In addition, the organization has developed leadership skills in both members of the organization and the community in order to support them as they engage in this positive change. Finally, this organization demonstrates continuous reflection to overcome obstacles and weaknesses that are encountered during the process of implementing the positive change.
Outstanding Senior Award
This award goes to a senior who has shown his or her ability to be a leader on campus and in the surrounding community. In addition, this student has shown growth and made a significant contribution to the campus community by making the most of their “Wisconsin Experience.” The students that receive the Outstanding Senior Award are those students that have been actively involved in the UW-Madison campus and community, those that are dedicated to its community, and those who associate strongly with the university.
Outstanding Service Award
This award recognizes a student organization that has participated in service activities continually throughout the academic year and has hosted at least one service activity to the campus community. This student organization has worked consistently through dedication and perseverance to improve our campus and the surrounding community.
Outstanding Transfer Student Award
This award honors outstanding student leaders who have made a significant impact on the University of Wisconsin campus and surrounding community as a transfer student. This student has demonstrated his or her leadership through creating a unique mark on the UW community and successfully handling his or her transition onto campus through meaningful campus involvement. In addition, this student has taken initiative within their involvement and encompasses important values and ideals of the “Wisconsin Experience.”
Philanthropic Achievement Award
This award recognizes a student organization that has excelled in investing considerable time towards raising funds and donations for their events and charity. Their actions embody the Wisconsin Idea and have benefited campus or the surrounding community.
Social Justice Advocacy
This award recognizes an individual or student organization that makes a strong and lasting impact on the Madison campus and community by promoting social justice and equality. They also have made great strides to educate and empower others to act on these beliefs.
Business Badger Leadership Award
The Business Badger Leadership Award recognizes a business student who has demonstrated leadership in a co-curricular project or initiative that resulted in a positive impact on their community. This student exemplifies the leadership traits that make Wisconsin School of Business students Trusted to Lead. These traits include competency and trust, humility and grit, individual goals for collective success, and inclusive leadership. In addition, this student has also achieved academic excellence and has put the business knowledge they have learned in the classroom into action throughout this co-curricular project or initiative.
Graduate Student Commitment to Engagement and Activism
The Graduate Student Commitment to Engagement and Activism Awards recognize graduate students who work on promoting social justice, equity, and inclusion in their graduate degree department and or on campus. They strive to educate, encourage and create change to foster welcoming and brave spaces for all students, particularly students from diverse BIPOC, backgrounds. They demonstrate strong leadership skills through meaningful engagement for influential change.
Graduate Peer Mentor Awards
The Graduate Student Peer Mentor Awards recognize graduate students who exhibit stellar mentorship qualities. These graduate students are selected based on their ability to mentor undergraduate and/or graduate students, on or off campus.
Previous Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
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2022 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best Advisor Award: Emily Keepman
I am very humbled to receive this award and am honored to be a part of such a vibrant advising community. A special shout out to the wonderful advisee who nominated me, you know who you are and submitted a stellar nomination! I want to also recognize my coworkers in the Advising & Career Center in the School of Human Ecology who tirelessly support students and make coming to work so gratifying.
Conservation and Sustainability Award: Enactus
Enactus UW-Madison is highly grateful to be recognized for advancing Conservation and Sustainability on campus. This award will help us to elevate our presence as a student organization dedicated to developing entrepreneurial leaders who are unified to create a better, more sustainable world. We hope that with the support of the Office of Sustainability, we will continue to drive much-needed impact while helping students advance their personal and professional lives.
Global Citizenship Award: Kelly Longhini
I am very grateful to have received the Global Citizenship Bucky Award, as it both commends the work I put into my international internship last summer and encourages me to continue seeking opportunities to engage in our globally-connected world. I am proud of the efforts I made to complete the literature review, interviews of professionals in both Uruguay and Madison, and research report to better understand the use of agrochemicals in traditional vs. organic farming, a topic I had minimal previous exposure to. I hope that receiving this award brings more awareness and interest to the International Internship Program on campus, as they offer many unique experiences to extend your UW education beyond Madison.
Inclusivity Award: Badgers for Special Olympics
Badgers for Special Olympics is so unbelievably honored to receive the Buckey Inclusion Award. As an organization, we work hard to create an environment where people of all physical and intellectual abilities feel safe and valued. We strive to be a place where we celebrate everyone’s individuality and learn from our different life experiences. This award validates that we are making a positive impact on campus and helping create a more inclusive environment.
Individual Leadership Award: Amena Saleh
I am honored to have received this award as acknowledgment for my work as a leader on the UW Campus. From being the President of two student organizations on campus, I have had the privilege of leading over thirty initiatives to better my community. I hope to continue to do work that merits such an award by leading impactful projects in my community and beyond. However, I cannot rightfully accept this award without recognizing my amazing boards, my friends, and my family who have consistently supported my aspirations as a leader. Above all, all praise must go to the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Allah (God).
Most Involved Award: Mae Hurtado-Thiele
Being the “Most Involved” is about impactful involvement and choosing to dedicate my time to organizations and opportunities that are meaningful to me and will have a greater effect on the community. This award is a representation of my passion for interdisciplinary learning and my dedication to nurturing my various interests. I’m grateful for the people I’ve been able to connect with and for the constant and unwavering support of my mentors and peers.
Outstanding Freshman Award: Emmett Lockwood
I am so honored to have received the outstanding freshman award! As a kid I often did not identify, I thought the term disability was by its very nature limiting, and that by admitting I have a body and a brain that, well to not bore you with a long list of medical diagnoses, is not what society would expect. This award I see not just as a testament to the emerging inclusive space on this campus for disabled students such as myself, but also as a testament to a younger version of myself that I can present my full self, and not use euphemisms to describe myself to others, and still achieve amazing things when others around me are willing to make this world a little more accessible.
Outstanding Senior Award: Karina Melendez
I’m honored to have received the Outstanding Senior Award because I have dedicated so much time to making this campus feel like home to me. It’s been difficult attending a predominantly white institution, but this award signifies that all the inclusive spaces & events that I have organized in the Madison community have not gone unnoticed. I’m proud to be an outstanding leader on campus by uplifting the Wisconsin Experience for myself & the other Queer & BIPOC students around me.
Outstanding Service Award: Community Health Volunteers
The members of Community Health Volunteers of Madison are so thankful to receive this award. Our members have gone above and beyond to carry out our mission and adapt our programs to meet the ever-changing needs of the community. This award not only serves as a reminder of the impact and connections we have established in the Madison community but also as an inspiration for future members and leaders to continue growing our organization. It is an honor to be recognized for this award by the university.
Social Justice Advocacy: Amy Van Aartsen
Receiving this award makes me proud to be a Badger. I’m thankful for how much my experiences as a student at UW -Madison have shaped me as a person. I strongly believe that my education at UW-Madison has helped empower me to advocate for and create positive change in my community. I’m incredibly grateful to my mentors on campus who have supported my growth as a leader – I want to extend a huge thank you to Ruben Mota, Mari Magler, Mike Mohr, and the many others who have invested in me!
Business Badger Leadership: Lennox Owino Ochieng
To me this award as a recognition of the fact that knowledge that students get from the Wisconsin School of Business is used all over the world to make our communities better. I am proud, through this award, to be a representation of those contributing to the Wisconsin Idea through the Wisconsin School of Business.
Graduate Peer Mentor: Caroline Hensley
I am honored to win this Graduate Peer Mentor Award for my work in the UW-Madison English programs! In my capacity as the career advisor for English majors and co-chair of the Graduate Student Association, I strive to connect students, staff, and faculty across our department in ways that enrich both our individual and collective experiences. I believe mentorship networks and shared knowledges are invaluable for building an inclusive, accessible community. It is an absolute pleasure to lend my efforts to developing new and existing forms of support in the English department.
Graduate Student Commitment to Engagement and Activism: Zubin DeVitre
Zubin DeVitre is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During his time at UW-Madison, Zubin has filled various roles including, but not limited to, lead instructor for UW’s Academic Enhancement Seminar, a mentor for the Posse Foundation, and a community support specialist at the Counseling Psychology Training Clinic. In these roles, Zubin has done his best to ensure that he is finding system-level interventions that he can put into place to help instill lasting change while also attending to his required responsibilities. Examples include creating a partnership with Cliff Bar to help scholars with food insecurity and crafting system processes to provide more equitable access for student resources. As a second-generation South Asian American, his professional interests focus (broadly) on Pan- and South Asian American mental health/well-being. Specifically, recognizing that South Asian Americans are often forgotten within the higher education and mental-health narratives, Zubin works to provide representation to South Asian American students within the university setting. It is for these reasons that Zubin’s research publications and presentations have a specified focus on ways to reconstruct the narrative surrounding Pan- and South Asian American students’ well-being and why he worked to develop UW-Madison’s first-ever Asian American Psychology course.
Graduate Peer Mentor: Christopher Hulshof
Graduate Peer Mentor: Alexandra Lakind
Graduate Student Commitment to Engagement and Activism: Ashley Scott
Graduate Student Commitment to Engagement and Activism: Morgan H. Henson
Best New Student Organization Award: Effective Altruism at UW-Madison
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Wisconsin Speech and Debate Society
Health and Wellness Award: Wisconsin Society of Pharmacy Student
Outstanding Leadership Award: Wisconsin Consulting Club
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Fiona Iljazi
Philanthropic Achievement Award: Ask. Listen. Save.
Creating Inclusive Community: Queen and Trans People of Color
2021 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best Advisor Award:
Best New Student Organization Award:
Conservation and Sustainability Award:
Excellence in Post-Graduate Preparation:
Health and Wellness Award:
Inclusivity Award:
Individual Leadership Award:
Outstanding First-Year Student Award:
Outstanding Leadership Award:
Outstanding Senior Award:
Outstanding Transfer Student Award:
Business Badger Leadership Award:
Creating Inclusive Community:
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Alpha Kappa Delta Phi
Global Citizenship Award: Eden Foster
Most Involved Award: Tamia Fowlkes
Outstanding Service Award: Society of Pharmacy Students
Social Justice Advocacy: WI Black Student Union
Graduate Peer Mentor: Annaliese Grant
Graduate Peer Mentor: Taylor Lee Watterson
Graduate Peer Mentor: Ariel Borns
2020 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best Advisor Award: Dane Cook
Best New Student Organization Award: Love Your Melon
Conservation and Sustainability Award: ERBN
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Beta Omicron Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
Excellence in Post-Graduate Preparation: Society of Women Engineers
Global Citizenship Award: Alondra Avitia
Health and Wellness Award: Katie Kalvelage
Inclusivity Award: Hoofers Adapt
Individual Leadership Award: Kalley Carlson
Most Involved Award: Juliana Brandt
Outstanding Freshman Award: Terjuan Short
Outstanding Leadership Award: The Peer Learning Association
Outstanding Senior Award: Yogev Ben-Yotschok
Outstanding Service Award: Diverse-OT
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Tiffany Yang
Philanthropic Achievement Award: Humorology, Inc
Social Justice Advocacy: Nalah McWhorter
2019 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Outstanding First-Year Freshman Award: Levi Redlin
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Mouna Algahaithi
Individual Leadership Award: Alexandra Hader
Outstanding Senior: Abagail Catania
Global Citizenship Award: Shiloah Coley
Most Involved Award: Mackenzie Rabas
Conservation & Sustainability Award: Alexander Mathers
Social Justice Advocacy Award: VOICE Organization
Inclusivity Award: Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority
Best New Student Organization: Women in Finance and Accounting
Health and Wellness Award: Ronald Steinhoff
Excellence in Post-Graduate Preparation: Health Occupations Students of America
Graduate Student Peer Mentor Award (1): Mary Dueñas
Graduate Student Peer Mentor Award (2): Caroline Hardin
Graduate Peer Mentor Award (3): Allison Murrow
Outstanding Service Award: Diverse-OT
Outstanding Leadership Award: Students Today Leaders Forever!
Philanthropic Achievement Award: Ask.Listen.Save
Best Advisor Award: Jean Heitz
2018 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best Advisor Award: Glenn Bower
Best New Student Organization Award: Diverse-OT
Conservation and Sustainability Award: Helios
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc
Excellence in Post-Graduate Preparation: National Society of Black Engineers
Global Citizenship Award: Jennifer Torner
Health and Wellness Award: Accessible Reproductive Healthcare Initiative
Inclusivity Award: Kappa Gamma Chapter of Sigma Lambda Gamma
Individual Leadership Award: Sanaya Bhathena
Most Involved Award: Anna Patterson
Outstanding Freshman Award: Chris Massey
Outstanding Leadership Award: Alpha Kappa Delta Phi International Sorority, Inc
Outstanding Senior Award: Meredith Braza
Outstanding Service Award: BundleUp
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Paul Jackson II
Philanthropic Achievement Award: Ask.Listen.Save
Social Justice Advocacy: We’re better Than That & VOICE
2017 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best New Student Organization Award: Women in Scientific Education and Research (WISER)
Conservation and Sustainability Award: Maria Castillo
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Badgerloop
Excellence in Post-Graduate Preparation: Transcend Engineering
Global Citizenship Award: Yi Wu
Health and Wellness Award: Dietetics and Nutrition Club
Inclusivity Award: Ten Percent Society
Individual Leadership Award: Eva Shelton
Most Involved Award: Jenna Hensel
Outstanding Freshman Award: Julia Schiller
Outstanding Leadership Award: National Alliance on Mental Illness
Outstanding Senior Award: Andrew Hunter Jr.
Outstanding Service Award: Engineers Without Borders
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Fei He
Philanthropic Achievement Award: Delta Delta Delta Sorority
Social Justice Advocacy: Diverse-OT
2016 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best New Student Organization Award: Eye to Eye
Conservation and Sustainability Award: Ethical and Responsible Business Network
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Enactus
Excellence in Post-Graduate Preparation: Health Occupations Students of America – UW Madison (HOSA)
Global Citizenship Award: Wyatt Rufener
Health and Wellness Award: Kinesiology Club
Inclusivity Award: Badgers for Special Olympics
Individual Leadership Award: Maikou Vang
Most Involved Award: Caroline Zellmer
Outstanding Freshman Award: Nathaniel Jones
Outstanding Leadership Award: Peer Learning Association
Outstanding Senior Award: Erica Anderson
Outstanding Service Award: Kappa Delta Chi Sorority
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Sarah Laudon
Philanthropic Achievement Award: Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority
Social Justice Advocacy: Muslim Student Association
2015 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best New Student Organization Award: Badger Consulting
Conservation and Sustainability Award: International Agriculture Colloquium
Excellence in Post-Graduate Preparation: Advertising Club
Global Citizenship Award: Allison Perlin
Health and Wellness Award: Ask.Listen.Save
Inclusivity Award: Best Buddies Madison
Individual Leadership Award: Naman Siad
Most Involved Award: Joshua Choe
Outstanding Freshman Award: Abigail Catania
Outstanding Leadership Award: Muslim Student Association
Outstanding Senior Award: Christian Hernandez
Outstanding Service Award: Love Your Melon
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Shelby Knuth
Philanthropic Achievement Award: She’s The First
Social Justice Advocacy: National Alliance on Mental Illness – UW Madison (NAMI)
2014 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best New Student Organization Award: Be the Match on Campus
Conservation and Sustainability Award: Badger Catholic
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Ask.Listen.Save
Excellence in Post-Graduate Preparation: Advertising Club
Global Citizenship Award: Abigail Gadbois
Health and Wellness Award: Wisonsin Society of Pharmacy Students
Inclusivity Award: Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority
Individual Leadership Award: Megan Crass
Most Involved Award: Casey Kalman
Outstanding Freshman Award: Isaiah Stock
Outstanding Leadership Award: AIESEC Madison
Outstanding Senior Award: Gary Filipp
Outstanding Service Award: Lions Club
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Ian Wegger
Philanthropic Achievement Award: Theta Chi Fraternity
Social Justice Advocacy: Ask.Listen.Save
2013 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best New Student Organization Award: She’s The First
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Slow Food Madison
Excellence in Innovation Award: Adventure Learning Programs
Inclusivity Award: Sigma Lambda Gamma Sorority
Individual Leadership Award: Shawn Harris
Most Involved Award: Jeremy Rickena
Outstanding Freshman Award: Megan Ketterhagen
Outstanding Leadership Award: AIESEC Madison
Outstanding Senior Award: Bob Friedel, Rebekah Blocker
Outstanding Service Award: Wisconsin Society of Pharmacy Students
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Alex Keuhn
Philanthropic Achievement Award: Ask.Listen.Save
2012 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best New Student Organization Award: Students for Education Reform
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Madhatters
Excellence in Innovation Award: Greater University Tutoring Services
Inclusivity Award: Delta Gamma Sorority
Individual Leadership Award: Nichole Powell
Most Involved Award: Sam Clos
Outstanding Freshman Award: Christian Hernandez
Outstanding Leadership Award: Health Occupantions Students of America – UW Madison (HOSA)
Outstanding Senior Award: Amarildo Ademaj
Outstanding Service Award: American Red Cross Society
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Theodore Schober
Philanthropic Achievement Award: Delta Gamma Sorority
2011 Bucky's Award Ceremony Winners
Best New Student Organization Award: Wisconsin Association of Black Men
Dean’s Award of Excellence: Health Occupantions Students of America – UW Madison (HOSA)
Excellence in Innovation Award: Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity
Inclusivity Award: Greater University Tutoring Services
Individual Leadership Award: Jair Alvarez
Most Involved Award: Lauren Gould
Outstanding Leadership Award: Young Progressives
Outstanding Senior Award: Sam Rhyan
Outstanding Service Award: Aspiring Nurses Association
Outstanding Transfer Student Award: Heidi Lang, Jenny Sunday
Philanthropic Achievement Award: Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority