#UWRightNow

"On April 18, 2012, the University of Wisconsin-Madison highlighted 24 hours in the life of our campus. See the tweets, pictures and stories students, alumni, staff, friends and the community shared in real time during the event to show the world what makes the university such a unique place every day."

The University did a really cool thing today. And there is no chance of not tearing up when you read about it. 

The project #UWRightNow was a unique and compelling way to shed light on the University and its effects on the world. To demonstrate a scope of that size, to do justice to a community of Badgers that extends far beyond the Madison city limits, is a daunting task. How do you illuminate the extent of our network that has been changing the world for years and continues to grow every day? When you sift through the lists of alumni, students, faculty, and other members of campus, you will find some extraordinary credentials. So while I was exploring this incredibly neat showcase, scrolling through the tweets, photos, and anecdotes, all I could think was, "How impressive is the life of a Badger?"

There were many inspiring and surprising posts, and far too many that tugged on my heart strings and flooded my heart with homesickness. There were also too many of note to mention here, but I will share one of my favorites:

My life … without the UW

Without my time spent at the University of Wisconsin I would not have met my beautiful wife. Without her I wouldn’t be able to cheer on Donald Driver on Dancing With The Stars, while dancing (badly) in my living room with my 2-year-old son. Without my Badger pride, and fantastic friends, I wouldn’t make a road trip to a new Big Ten Football away game every year. I never would have been coerced into running Crazy Legs. Without Crazy Legs I would never have discovered my love for running or completed my first marathon last year. Without the UW I would have never dreamed of buying a small business — much less knowing how to operate it successfully. Husband. Father. Friend. Runner. Entrepreneur … Badger.

— Brent Hyden, Class of 2006

That post really got me thinking. What would my life be like without UW-Madison? When you start connecting the dots, you feel dizzy from the cause and effect. Of course you can do this with every facet of your life, but when you reflect on it with one common theme, a more interesting picture begins to form. Take one, specific string of life events on campus, for example. My life in UW-Madison campus politics:

2007 If I hadn't entered UW-Madison, I would not have begun to volunteer for the largest College Democrats chapter in the state. I would not have passed out flyers for the College Democrats of Madison during my first weekend on campus, unknowingly setting the tone for the next three years of my life. Although I didn't know it then, that day jump- started my career in campus politics and put me on the Executive Board the following year.

2008 If I hadn't become so involved in the College Democrats, I probably wouldn't have been so involved in the 2008 Barack Obama campaign for President. I would not have volunteered with the campaign through the primary season and general election. I would not have seen Barack speak five different times, first at the College Democrats of America Convention in South Carolina (2007), then at the Monona Terrace in Madison, then at the Kohl Center on campus, and at his nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado. And for that one I was sitting in the absolute front row--the same row as Michelle Obama and their children, whom I also met. If I hadn't attended the convention, I would not have received an official ticket to attend his Presidential Inauguration in D.C. the following year. And all of that was before I turned 20-years-old.

 

2009 If I hadn't made the College Democrats of Madison a priority in my life, and served on the Executive Board for two years, I wouldn't have become Chair (aka Supreme and Fearless Leader) of the organization, which I believe will turn out to be quite the effective bullet point on my resume, not to mention all of the invaluable experiences that came along with it.


Without UW-Madison, I honestly don't think I would have discovered my passion for public policy, feminism, or environmentalism. I wouldn't have worked at Visitor and Information Programs, which not only was responsible for much of my happiness for most of my college career, but furthermore taught me important job skills. Without UW-Madison's strong commitment to encouraging students to study abroad, I wouldn't have lived in Seville, Spain for 4 months, met Gloria, or traveled through Europe. If I hadn't studied abroad, I would never have imagined returning to Spain to teach English for 9 months. And finally, when I consider for a moment the people I never would have met if it weren't for UW-Madison, well then I just lose it.

I mean, talk about a ripple effect. The sheer amount of opportunities and possibilities I wouldn't have received or perceived is striking. And when you consider further the ongoing effect we all as Badgers have and will have on the world, then a small string of life events within a span of 3 years with an organization on campus, that very well could have set the tone for the rest of your life, suddenly seems a lot bigger. 

"Each time a person stands up for an idea, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."
--Robert Kennedy

Student. Teacher. Information Guide. Friend. Activist... Badger.