UW-Madison School of Human Ecology

What's it like to create dresses for the Oscars? Alum Paige Skenandore '22 knows firsthand and shares her experience in a recent feature in On Wisconsin magazine: https://onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/what-it-feels-like-to

Congratulations to MFA in Design Studies alum Noa Rickey '26, who is the recipient of the Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange/Fulbright Ireland's Summer Gaeltacht Award. The highly competitive award covers tuition and fees for recipients to spend up to six weeks studying the Irish language in the Gaeltacht regions of Ireland. Rickey will use this opportunity to continue their fiber arts research abroad.

Wisconsin Alumni

Congratulations to Amy Liang x’27, a mentee of Professor of Civil Society & Community Studies Zoua M. Vang and part of Vang’s Maternal Child Health Equity & Safety (MatCHES) Lab, for winning an Outstanding Presentation Award at the inaugural Undergraduate Symposium Awards. Liang won for her poster “Integrating Health Literacy into Adult ESL Education: A Community-Engaged Approach,” which stood out to judges and the review committee for its “accessibility and effectiveness,” a symposium coordinator said.

Learn more: https://ugradsymposium.wisc.edu/presenter-awards-opportunities/

Congratulations to Human Development & Family Studies student Aryana Wadhwani x’28, who was awarded the highly competitive 2026 Udall Scholarship. Wadhwani is one of 65 undergraduate students nationwide to receive the scholarship, which identifies future leaders in environmental, Tribal public policy and Native healthcare fields.

Over the past two years, Wadhwani has worked as an undergraduate research assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Madison arm of the HEALthy Brain and Child Development Study, where she conducts research on how exposure to environmental toxins, such as heavy metals, can affect children’s growth and development: https://news.wisc.edu/uw-madison-student-awarded-prestigious-udall-scholarship/

UW–Madison student awarded prestigious Udall Scholarship The national honor recognizes undergraduate Aryana Wadhwani as a future leader in the environmental field.

Professor emerit Connie Flanagan was recently quoted in a Madison Commons article where she discussed that lower voter turnout among young adults is not a new trend. Developing the habit of voting takes time, and once people begin participating in elections, they are more likely to continue doing so.

Organizations like Wisconsin Youth Voters are helping young people navigate the voting process by focusing on voter registration, education and engagement—making civic participation more accessible and approachable. Creating pathways for young people to get involved today helps build a stronger culture of civic engagement for the future:

Organizations help young people register to vote to boost youth turnout in Wisconsin - Madison Commons - Dane County Community News Jake Leismer was still in high school when he realized that somethings – or someones – were missing. In places where important decisions were being

According to a UW survey, 90% of respondents who earned a bachelor’s degree from UW–Madison in 2024–25 are now employed, engaged in entrepreneurship, serving in the military, contributing through volunteer organizations, or pursuing continuing education.

Check out the median salary, where they live, and how the UW helped them get there.👇
onwisconsin.uwalumni.com/grads-move-onward-and-upward

Two new articles by CommNS Executive Director Mary Beth Collins appeared in the March and April issues of the Wisconsin Counties Association!

In March, Mary Beth's article, “Meeting the Moment,” acknowledged the history and current state of Civic Health and Democracy in Wisconsin.

Read more here: https://commnsknowledge.wisc.edu/2026/03/11/meeting-the-moment-defining-civic-health-in-wisconsin/

In April, Mary Beth's article “Wisconsin’s Civic Health: A Snapshot of Recent Years,” provides an update on Wisconsin’s civic health since 2020 and summarizes key findings from the second Civic Health of Wisconsin Report.

Read more here: https://commnsknowledge.wisc.edu/2026/06/01/wisconsins-civic-health-a-snapshot-of-recent-years/

UW-Madison School of Human Ecology

Congratulations to Textiles & Fashion Design Studies graduating senior Ava Beydoun ‘26 and Design, Innovation & Society student Grantham “G” Green x’27, who make up the winning student design team of VECTOR, a four-month creative capstone developed by the Virgil Abloh Foundation in collaboration with Burton Snowboards.

Championed by University of Wisconsin-Madison student organization The Vault and Laura Hensen as their campus advisor, Beydoun and Green set out to design a commemorative merchandise line for Burton Snowboards. The duo designed a braid pattern with a color palette that pulled from the Aspen, Colorado landscape: blue skies, evergreen slopes and white snow. They sketched everything by hand and presented a land acknowledgement alongside their designs that includes actionable ways to continue shifting culture and expanding diversity in creative spaces.

A recent WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee's NPR feature examines the term “Black-on-Black crime” and why many experts believe it creates a misleading narrative about crime and race.

Associate Professor of Consumer Science and Human Development & Family Studies David Pate explains that the phrase is often reinforced by media coverage that disproportionately highlights crimes involving Black individuals, shaping public perceptions in ways that can perpetuate harmful stereotypes.

Research and experts cited in the article note that most violent crime is intraracial, where offenders and victims are likely to live in close proximity, regardless of race. The article encourages a broader conversation about the social and economic factors that influence crime, including housing segregation, concentrated poverty and systemic inequities.

Understanding crime requires looking beyond labels and stereotypes. As Pate emphasizes, meaningful conversations about public safety must consider the larger systems and conditions that shape communities:

Media perpetuates ‘Black-on-Black crime,’ but experts say intraracial crime is common The term “Black-on-Black crime” has existed for decades, perpetuating the idea that Black people are the biggest threats to each other. A listener wanted our Beats Me series to tackle the topic.