It’s that time of year again–the winners of the 2020 Bucky’s Awards have been announced! Congratulations to Alondra Avitia, the winner of the Global Citizenship Award!
The Global Citizenship Award, sponsored by the International Internship Program, is given to an ambitious student in regards to their experience while abroad, and recognizes a student’s efforts to increase their awareness of global issues, whether it is through an internship, a class, or a volunteer project.
Alondra has explored her identity as a student here at UW-Madison and as a global citizen through her study and internship abroad experiences. She states that “global citizenship requires being proactive in engaging with the world around you”, and has embodied this idea abroad in Brazil and Italy, as well as on campus. While in Italy, she lived with Italian roommates and chose to dive deeply into the community and culture in Bologna. On campus, she has focused on questions of culture, identity and belonging in the International Learning Community, in BRIDGE, and the Latinx Student Union, among other organizations.
Alondra shared, “It is very affirming to see my values of Global Citizenship being recognized by the International Internship Program. Living with a willingness to be vulnerable and challenged by ideas and perspectives different from our own is what we should expect from each other, especially in times of crisis that we are seeing in our world today. Now more than ever we must engage in conversations and exchange ideas globally to effectively prioritize the wellbeing of our citizens.
“To me, global citizenship is not something I will one day fully attain: it is a continuous journey of constantly challenging the way I think about my surroundings and confronting my biases; it is being faced with many uncomfortable situations and accepting it is through the discomfort that you grow and learn the most. I urge you all to accept, face, and embrace the discomfort.”
To view all of the winners of the Bucky’s Awards, visit the Student Leadership Program website here: https://slp.cfli.wisc.edu/2020-buckys-awards-winners/