Scholarship Ceremony Honors more than 130 Students Intending to Study Abroad

Studying abroad offers students the opportunity to experience a new culture through coursework, exploration, and personal growth. A study abroad experience is a life-changing event that helps expand a student’s worldview, deepen language competence, increase self-reliance, shape character, and develop personal interests. The Division of International Studies and International Academic Programs (IAP) hosted the 2011 Study Abroad Scholarship Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Gifts from a number of different  scholarship funds were awarded to more than 100 students for study around the world. Generous alumni and friends of the Division has made several gifts possible. The awards are made based on a combination of factors, including financial need, demonstrated academic excellence, and the nature of the academic program. Learn more about the generous gifts from alumni and friends:

“I am convinced that our students can only make a difference in the world if they leave the university equipped with an understanding of what makes people from different cultures with different mindsets tick.”

—Study Abroad Alum and Scholarship Donor Todd Friedbacher

The Cerk Family Fund for Study Abroad was established by Norman J. and Heewon B. Cerk.   Cerk went abroad as a student at UW–Madison and found the experience to be fulfilling and a factor in the success he has achieved in his life’s work. He graduated from UW–Madison in 1994 with a BA in political science.  The purpose of this fund is to assist undergraduate students by funding their study abroad experiences at UW–Madison. Cerk Family Fund for Study Abroad
  • Rebecca Her                                         London, England
  • Deirdre Metcalf                                   Galway, Ireland
The Chou Kuo-ping Awards are named for the UW–Madison faculty member who taught Chinese language courses on campus in the mid-1960s and organized opportunities for her students to study abroad in Taiwan. One of those students, Tom Sternberg, now an insurance executive in White Plains, New York, has donated a gift in Miss Chou’s honor toward study abroad in Chinese-speaking countries.

Chou Kuo-ping Awards

  • Angela Albrecht                                Tianjin, China
  • Matthew Baltz                                     Tianjin, China
  • Joshua Cook                                        Tianjin, China
  • Trevor Davis-Darden                       Tianjin, China
  • Jennifer Donahoe                              Tianjin, China
  • Matthew From                                    Tianjin, China
  • Patrick Grimes                                    Beijing, China
  • Emma Lawson                                     Tianjin, China
  • Anna Lundskow                                  Tianjin, China
  • Allison Mccann                                   Tianjin, China
  • Alicia Montague-Keels                     Tianjin, China
  • Rebecca Nelson                                   Tianjin, China
  • John Prusynski                                    Tianjin, China
  • John Rehbeck                                       Hong Kong, China
  • Stephanie Sauer                                   Beijing, China
  • Aleshia Schiller                                    Beijing, China
  • Sarah Wagner                                        Beijing, China
  • William Wasserman                            Tianjin, China
  • Samantha Witthuhn                            Beijing, China
  • Ittai Wong                                               Beijing, China
  • Connor Zarecki                                     Tianjin, China
The Elizabeth Ann Garden Memorial Scholarship was established by Lori Chozen to honor her friend Elizabeth Ann Garden by providing need-based scholarships for students to study abroad in Spain. Although this is a need-based scholarship, it is extremely important that the selected student have a passion for languages, a love of learning, a desire for exploration, and a thirst for independence, all of which are qualities that Elizabeth possessed.

Elizabeth Ann Garden Memorial Scholarship

  • Lia Woods                                                Madrid, Spain
The France Study Abroad Scholarship was established by the Division of International Studies to support students studying abroad in France.  Funding for the scholarship is provided by alumni who participated in a study abroad program in France. IAP currently offers a dozen study abroad programs in Paris and around France.

France Study Abroad Scholarship

  • Kaylin Fabian                                          Aix-en-Provence, France
The George B. and Lisa N. McReddie International Studies Scholarship was created to provide support for students studying in Latin America. A committed internationalist, McReddie did his undergraduate work in political science and Latin American Studies at UW–Madison before earning an MBA in International Finance at Thunderbird School of Global Management.  He currently serves as an active member of the Dean’s Advisory Board.

George B. and Lisa N. McReddie Int’l Scholarship

  • Chase McNulty                                      Otavalo, Ecuador
  • Mary Roth                                               Otavalo, Ecuador
The Germany Study Abroad Scholarship was established by the Division of International Studies to support students studying abroad in Germany.  Funding for the scholarship is provided by alumni who participated previously in a study abroad program in Germany. IAP offers students a choice six study and two internship programs in Germany.

German Study Abroad Scholarship

  • Renata Danks                                          Freiburg, Germany
The Gigi Pritzker Pucker Awards were made possible by a gift from Gigi Pritzker Pucker, an alumna of UW–Madison’s Nepal study abroad program and a long-time generous contributor to the study abroad scholarship fund. Previous Pritzker Pucker scholarships have benefited more than 50 students who chose study abroad in such diverse regions as Asia, Africa, Central Europe, and Latin America.

Gigi Pritzker Pucker Awards

  • Amelia Davidson                                 Lima, Peru
  • Soomi Kim                                             Seoul, South Korea
  • Laura Neilson                                       Lima, Peru
  • Amaris Vangen-Adams                    Lima, Peru
  • Kati Garness                                          Lima, Peru
  • Ayzada Bengel                                     Seoul, South Korea
  • Neal Kivi                                                Saint-Louis, Senegal
  • Nicole Davis                                         Istanbul, Turkey
  • Erika Dickerson                                  Cape Town, South Africa
  • Kristina Nielsen                                 Varanasi, India
  • Kerry Springer                                   Varanasi, India
The Great People – International Studies Scholarship fund helps to ensure that undergraduates with financial need can realize their dream of studying abroad. The GP-IS Scholarship makes study abroad accessible and affordable, just as the UW Foundation’s Great People Scholarship helps to ensure that no student accepted to the university on outstanding merits will be turned away for want of money.

Great People – International Studies Scholarship

  • Toni Kaiser                                           Kathmandu, Nepal
  • Jonathan Wilk                                     Sydney, Australia
  • Kristof Didrickson                             Varanasi, India
  • Comfort Awosika                               Beijing, China
  • Mary Bruckbauer                              Dublin, Ireland
  • Lara Capangpangan                          Bangkok, Thailand
  • Hugh Hughes                                       London, England
  • Kristin Johnson                                  Kampala, Uganda
  • Wren Keturi                                          Multiple, Kenya
  • Danielle Leach                                     Bangkok, Thailand
  • Joanne Martin-Koob                        Multiple, Kenya
  • Anna Munsey                                      Otavalo, Ecuador
  • Kristen O’Malley                                 Kampala, Uganda
  • Kelli Pointer                                         Kampala, Uganda
  • Megan Ramaker                                  Otavalo, Ecuador
  • Courtney Rudisill                               Bangkok, Thailand
  • Lola Ittner                                            Sydney, Australia
The IAP Merit-Based Scholarship was established by International Academic Programs (IAP) to recognize students with high academic achievement.  Students must have a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA to qualify.

IAP Merit-Based Scholarships

  • Elliot Koch                                             Santiago, Chile
  • Elise Larson                                           Istanbul, Turkey
  • Monica Sciortino                                Singapore, Singapore
  • Elana Siegel                                           Lima, Peru
  • Andrew Mollica                                  Moscow, Russia
  • Stephanie Tallman                             Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
  • Nicholas Perry                                    Amman, Jordan
  • Elise Swanson                                      London, England
  • Thomas Hughes                                  Varanasi, India
  • Meagan Dunham                                Moscow, Russia
  • Kathryn Eszes                                     Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic
  • Ellen Conroy                                        Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Nathaniel Curran                               Seoul, South Korea
  • Meghan Knapp                                   Galway, Ireland
  • Caitlin Mackesey                               Umeå, Sweden
  • Rachel Rand                                        Florence, Italy
  • Katherine Roehl                                Mt. Kilimanjaro, Kenya
  • Maysen Yen                                        Shanghai, China
  • Nicholas Anderson                          Otavalo, Ecuador
  • Joseph Borgwardt                            Tianjin, China
  • William Chapin                                   Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Amy Davis                                            Bhopal, India
  • Mackenzie Erdmann                        Rovinj, Croatia
  • Alexis Greenstreet                            Florence, Italy
  • Patricia Horvath                                Bonn, Germany
  • Victoria Law                                        Florence, Italy
  • Jolie Lebell                                           Tianjin, China
  • Hueylie Lin                                           Bonn, Germany
  • Nina Longinovic                                Alcala, Spain
  • Katherine Lucarelli                           Florence, Italy
  • Kelly Reed                                             Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
  • Amanda Robinette                            Athens, Greece
  • Michelle Tollakson                            Sydney, Australia
  • Alex Wessel                                          Granada, Spain
  • Elyse Zarling                                        Granada, Spain
  • Laijingjing Zhou                                  Beijing, China
  • Chelsea Zielke                                      London, England
  • Amelia Coffey                                      London, England
  • Nathan Kliewer                                   Bangkok, Thailand
  • Nicholas Monaco                               Freiburg, Germany
  • Lindsay Sheedy                                   Bologna, Italy
  • Samantha Weber                                Madrid, Spain
  • Karl Whitemarsh                                Belo Horizonte, Brazil

The Joe Elder Awards honor Professor Elder, who has served as academic director of the UW–Madison College Year in India program, virtually since its inception in 1961.  He has mentored hundreds of students through his dedication to study abroad in this and other programs.  Alumni, colleagues, and friends made donations for a scholarship in his name, to be awarded to outstanding students participating in one of the UW–Madison academic programs abroad.

Joe Elder Awards

  • Maria Travis                                          Prague, Czech Republic
  • Kurt Weible                                           Varanasi, India
  • Josephine Helland                              Cape Town, South Africa
  • Alexandra Cabrera                             Nairobi, Kenya
  • William Crickman                                Amman, Jordan
  • Zachary Holt                                         Nagoya, Japan
  • Mai Pa Vang                                           Beijing, China

The Julie and Michael Gerend Study Abroad Fund is made possible by a 2005 gift from these alumni. Julie was an Evans Scholar at Madison and participated on a program in Florence her junior year. Michael completed an MBA at UW–Madison and, like Julie, has long believed in the value of study abroad.  Now both successful professionals in the business world, they made this contribution to encourage future Evans Scholars, and all UW–Madison students to pursue similar international experiences.

Julie and Michael Gerend Fund

  • Nicole Peterson                                    Sydney, Australia
The Kikkoman Corporation Study Abroad Scholarship was generously funded by Kikkoman Foods, Inc., a soy sauce production facility that was established in Walworth, Wisconsin in March 1972. This is the first study abroad scholarship award made possible by Kikkoman Foods, Inc.

Kikkoman Corporation Study Abroad Scholarship

  • Haley Alt                                               Nagoya, Japan
  • Lily Feng                                               Tokyo, Japan
  • Bianca Sanchez                                  Nagoya, Japan
The Laurent Karim Makward Memorial Scholarship was named for the son of Professor Christiane Makward of the Department of French, Pennsylvania State University and UW–Madison Professor Emeritus Edris Makward of African Languages and Literature and French.  Laurent was a student on the UW–Madison program in Aix-en-Provence in 1981-1982.  In 1983, he died in a tragic mishap in France. Laurent’s family and friends established a scholarship in his name, to be awarded to an outstanding student who is participating in one of the UW–Madison academic programs abroad.

Laurent K. Makward Memorial Scholarship

  • Kaitlin Goodden                                 Warwick, England
  • Kevin Mauer                                        Aix-en-Provence, France
The Rothschild Study Abroad Scholarships were made possible by the Chicago chapter of the Wisconsin Alumni Association for study abroad scholarships in honor of Robert “Bob” L. Rothschild, a 1932 UW–Madison graduate who spent his career in the publishing industry.

Robert Rothschild Scholarship

  • Nicole Delaney                                    Buenos Aires, Argentina
  • Ann Jepsen                                           Florence, Italy
  • Jessica Norman                                  Otavalo, Ecuador

The Sandy and Mindy Wilcox Scholarship was established in 2010 in honor of UW Foundation president emeritus Sandy Wilcox and his wife, Mindy. Wilcox served 22 years as president of the UW Foundation, from 1988-2010. He is a much decorated U.S. Navy veteran, who was officer-in-charge of a Swift Boat in Vietnam. Scholarships are designated for students studying in Asia and France, areas where the Wilcoxes have enjoyed spending time.

Sandy and Mindy Wilcox Scholarship

  • Brittany Hoffman                               Rennes, France
The ScanDesign Study Abroad Fellowship was established in spring 2010 by Inger and Jens Brunn of the ScanDesign Foundation, based in Seattle, Washington. The program is designed to foster Danish-American relations by providing generous financial support to undergraduate and graduate students who have been accepted to study abroad in Denmark for either a semester or a full academic year through any of UW–Madison’s Danish study abroad programs.

ScanDesign Study Abroad Fellowship

  • Alex Hoppe                                          Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Amanda Kievet                                   Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Samantha Brown                                Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Maura Salisbury                                 Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Jack Lund                                             Copenhagen, Denmark
The Spain Study Abroad Scholarship was established by the Division of International Studies to support students studying abroad in Spain.  Funding for the scholarship is provided by alumni who participated in a study abroad program in Spain.

Spain Study Abroad Scholarship

  • Michael Mirabelli                                Madrid, Spain
The Study Abroad Alumni Scholarship comes through generous contributions from committed UW–Madison alumni and friends of study abroad programs.  Gifts to the Study Abroad Fund provide direct assistance toward increasing the number and diversity of students studying overseas.

Study Abroad Alumni Scholarships

  • Kayla Blado                                         Lima, Peru
  • Carly Pierick                                       Lima, Peru
  • Isha Shrestha                                      Santiago, Dominican Republic
  • Constance Sze                                     Hong Kong, China
  • Emily Eubanks                                   Florence, Italy
  • Emma Fenner                                     Nairobi, Kenya
  • Marisa Janssen                                  Sydney, Australia
  • Corinne Mcnichols                           Nairobi, Kenya
  • Britainney Petrie                               CALS exchange, Sweden
  • Rachel Rand                                        Florence, Italy
  • Katherine Roehl                                Mt Kilimanjaro, Kenya
The Todd and Sabine Friedbacher Scholarship was established by Todd Friedbacher, UW–Madison alumnus and member emeritus of the Dean’s Advisory Board, and his wife Sabine. While at UW–Madison, Friedbacher studied French and Russian; he studied abroad at the University of Warwick in Great Britain.  He currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland where he works for Sidley Austin LLP, a global law firm.

Todd and Sabine Friedbacher Scholarship

  • Joseph Doolen                                     Basel, Switzerland