Sarah Kopp (left), Harry Luo (center) and Thavon Her (right) are using their Summer Term scholarships to participate in service learning, conduct research and complete undergraduate coursework.
Summer Term at UW–Madison isn’t just an excellent opportunity to take courses to lighten your course load for fall or spring. It can also lighten the load on your bank account with the help of summer scholarships.
Last summer, nearly 1,500 students were offered scholarships ranging from $500 to $1,000. These included the UW–Madison Undergraduate Scholarship for Summer Study, the Summer Finish scholarship and the Transfer Scholars Summer Award.
Other summer savings opportunities include the Summer Housing Boost, which helps students cover the cost of living in the residence halls while taking courses over the summer. New this summer is the Summer Internship Scholarship, which awards up to $1,500 to students participating in unpaid or underpaid internships for credit.
Read below to learn how Summer Term scholarships are helping three students meet their academic goals — and what else they’re doing to make the most of their summer.
Learning through service
Sarah Kopp
Hometown: McFarland, Wisconsin
Major: Health Promotion and Health Equity
Certificates: Summer Business Fundamentals, Global Health, Health Policy, International Development and Education, and Environmental Studies
Coursework? Check. Volunteering? Yes. Summer fun? Absolutely. These are just some things keeping junior Sarah Kopp busy this summer. A recipient of the UW–Madison Undergraduate Scholarship for Summer Study, Kopp is using Summer Term to make room in her degree plan and lighten her course load for fall and spring.
Her summer coursework includes OTM 300: Operations and Supply Chain Management, where she hopes to learn how business can be incorporated into public health and health administration.
She’s also taking LEGAL ST 473: Health Impacts of Unmet Social Needs, an in-person service learning course with UW–Madison’s Center for Patient Partnerships. As part of the course, Kopp will work directly with patients at a local clinic to help them identify and connect with social and legal services.
“This learning experience will help me witness firsthand how the social determinants of health affect many individuals and how organizations and policymakers are addressing those determinants,” said Kopp. “I aspire to go into the public health field, and this course will help me figure out if I like working with community health services, which can help me pinpoint my area of study in the future.”
Service learning also extends to Kopp’s volunteer work at her grandmother’s senior living apartment complex, where she’s donated her time and baking skills for the past five years. “This summer, I will be baking treats monthly for the residents and spending time with them during their coffee hour.”
Favorite summer activity: While you might spot her at the Dane County Farmers’ Market or visiting Wisconsin’s Northwoods with family, Kopp’s favorite activities include kayaking and fishing on the area lakes or “setting up a hammock between trees near the Lakeshore dorms, reading a book while drinking an iced coffee!”
Conducting research in China
Harry Luo
Hometown: Nanjing, China
Majors: Applied Mathematics, Engineering, and Physics (AMEP) and Mathematics
Certificate: Integrated Liberal Studies
A great research opportunity — and a little bit of homesickness — led Harry Luo to his home country of China for the summer. As a research student at the Quantum Photonics Lab (QPL) in Nanjing, Harry hopes to gain some research experience and maybe even produce some academic work in quantum computing.
“The opportunity to study at the QPL is the ideal place for me to get started on these endeavors,” said Luo. “I am currently spending most of my time studying the basics of quantum information and quantum mechanics. I also plan to learn more about quantum metrology in a few weeks so that I can be introduced to some elementary projects here at QPL afterward.”
Luo, who also received the UW–Madison Undergraduate Scholarship for Summer Study, is taking ECE 230: Circuit Analysis online “because it will introduce me to the basics of electronic hardware.” He says the summer scholarship will help him ease his family’s financial burden of college, and taking courses over the summer gives him a little more flexibility with his fall and spring semesters.
Favorite summer activity: Harry has heard summer in Madison is beautiful, but he has yet to spend the season here. In China, he enjoys revisiting his hometown cuisine. “China is a vibrant country with magical food,” Luo said. “The sheer amount of the kinds and combinations of food is beyond anyone’s imagination. Nanjing is famous for a special kind of beef potsticker that’s nowhere else to be found, and I just can’t have enough of it!”
Getting across the finish line
Thavon Her
Hometown: Wausau, Wisconsin
Major: Gender and Women’s Studies
Certificate: Public Policy
Thavon Her is no stranger to UW–Madison Summer Term courses. “Summer classes are nice because I still can focus on other things, such as an internship,” she said. “It’s convenient and less stressful than having a fully packed semester, plus I’m also still able to enjoy my summer!”
This year, her summer coursework is helping her reach a significant goal: graduation. With the help of the Summer Finish scholarship, awarded to students who can complete their degree by enrolling in summer courses, Her will graduate with a degree in Gender and Women’s Studies.
“I am so grateful I was able to receive [the scholarship] to help support my summer classes,” said Her, who will round out her undergraduate degree coursework by taking GEN&WS 316: Gender and Communication and GEN&WS 422: Women and the Law — both offered online this summer.
“My hope is that these courses will help prepare me for more legislative-focused internships,” said Her, who is also working remotely as a campus organizer for The Wisco Project. “My work focuses on civic engagement, and I am so excited to see how this work can potentially overlap with some of the courses I’m taking!”
After graduation, she plans to take a gap year or two to gain more professional research experience in legislation and policy. Then, you might see her back at UW–Madison, where she hopes to return for graduate school.
Favorite summer activity: When she’s in Madison, Her’s favorite summer activity is the Dane County Farmer’s Market. “It’s so nice to see everyone out and enjoying the nice weather, supporting local businesses in Madison,” Her said. “It definitely fosters a sense of community for me!”
Learn more about UW–Madison Summer Term and designing the summer that’s right for you. Find out about Summer Term scholarships — applications open in February!
Share your Summer Term story. Tag @uwsummer and #MyBadgerSummer on Instagram and show us what you’re up to this summer.