Edgewood College’s Community Scholars Program
Reflecting the Ideals of Youth and Edgewood
Reflecting the Ideals of Youth and Edgewood
Scholars. Each year, Edgewood awards three full-tuition scholarships to entering freshmen who have had a strong history of
community service and reflect the Edgewood value of “building a just and compassionate world.”
When Nazka Serrano moved to the Madison area from her native Ecuador, she had no friends and spoke no English. A lot of
people helped her through her difficult transition to American life and going to school in the Monona Grove School District. When she
was on her way, she noticed others who needed help as well.
“There were so many families just coming in from other states and countries,” Serrano said. “It wasn’t an official community
service. But I would always go into the office at the elementary school and they would say ‘We’re going to call this family and you need
to translate for them and tell them what we are going to say. On the first day, you need to show the little kid around and talk to him.’ It
was stuff like that which I felt good about because I knew their situation.”
Jasmine Bauer had a more direct introduction to community service. First her mom stressed over and over how important
community service was. Then Bauer went to Edgewood schools. “Ever since I went there, they drill community into your head that it is
important,” Bauer said. “For our graduation, we had to do 100 hours of community service and we had to reflect on that every single
time. For me personally, just having that drilled into my head from a really, really young age.”
During her high school career, Bauer was president and vice-president of Key Club, a Kiwanis-affiliated service club. Bauer also
worked with Invisible Children. “It helps find child soldiers in Uganda,” Bauer said. “They find the children because they are trained to
kill from a very young age. They find the children, get them out of the environment they are in and teach them. Basically, they
unbrainwash them because they have been brainwashed for a long time. It helps them get into school and get their lives straight. I did
that for quite a long time.”
Stephanie Muñoz came to Madison for her freshman year at Verona Area High School. She felt alone. “I became really close to my
high school counselor. She told me a lot about community service and got me really interested in just helping out. And the feeling I got
after helping out is what kept me going and kept me continuing to seek places where I could give service. One of my main foci was the
multicultural leadership council, which really wasn’t community service, but it started a program at Verona High School that we call
Multicultural Week. It builds bridges between cultures. The theme of my high school years was to build bridges. I was in Multicultural
Leadership Council, Bridges I, Bridges II and Staff Bridges. Anything I could do with that, I did. I volunteered with the Obama Campaign
for Change. I made thousands of phone calls. It was like a part-time job. I worked 20 hours per week just making phone calls. Election
Day, I didn’t go to school because I was running around the neighborhood putting flyers up and handing out stickers.”
Each of the Community Scholars plans to continue their same vein of community service. Serrano plans to be involved with the
Association of Latino(a) Students and seek out occasions where she can share her culture and language with other Edgewood
students. Bauer plans to found a branch of Circle K International — Key Club on a college level — at Edgewood. And Muñoz plans to
continue to build bridges between people of different cultures at Edgewood.
Community service wasn’t a way for these three to get into college, a youthful fad that they will “grow out of.” It is a basic
approach to life that they will continue into adulthood.
Serrano who plans to pursue a career in communications feels that service is a way of life. “I like to look at myself as a really
compassionate person,” Serrano said. “Even when I am old, I still want to give to the community. We come into this world not only to
live our lives, but also to share with other people what you know.
Bauer plans to join Teach for America when she graduates and join her sister who is teaching in the program out in Brooklyn, New
York. “Giving back is such an amazing feeling that you can’t even put into words,” Bauer emphasized. “I want my kids and my family to
have that experience and know that helping people is one of the best feelings you could have. Helping people makes a huge impact on
the world. Everyone has to pitch in. And when everyone pitches in, it makes the world even stronger.”
Muñoz plans to attend medical school after graduating from Edgewood and become an anesthesiologist. Community service runs
in her blood. “I will never be selfish,” Muñoz emphasized. “I would be lost without the relationships that I build with people through
service. I definitely see myself as Jasmine said passing it on to the generations of my family. Whatever it may be, if it is quilting
blankets because I can’t move, I will be doing something.”
All three students are grateful that they will be able to attend college because of the scholarships and opportunity that Edgewood
College is giving them. Perhaps Serrano said it best. “My parents didn’t go to college. I have younger brothers who look up to me; it is
a great feeling to know that your younger brothers are looking up to you and I am leading the way. Knowing that we fulfilled our parents’
American Dream because they didn’t have the chance to is huge.”
Indeed Serrano, Bauer and Muñoz will be fulfilling the dreams of their parents and those who came before them as they help others
through service fulfill their dreams. And there is no finer feeling on this earth.
community service and reflect the Edgewood value of “building a just and compassionate world.”
When Nazka Serrano moved to the Madison area from her native Ecuador, she had no friends and spoke no English. A lot of
people helped her through her difficult transition to American life and going to school in the Monona Grove School District. When she
was on her way, she noticed others who needed help as well.
“There were so many families just coming in from other states and countries,” Serrano said. “It wasn’t an official community
service. But I would always go into the office at the elementary school and they would say ‘We’re going to call this family and you need
to translate for them and tell them what we are going to say. On the first day, you need to show the little kid around and talk to him.’ It
was stuff like that which I felt good about because I knew their situation.”
Jasmine Bauer had a more direct introduction to community service. First her mom stressed over and over how important
community service was. Then Bauer went to Edgewood schools. “Ever since I went there, they drill community into your head that it is
important,” Bauer said. “For our graduation, we had to do 100 hours of community service and we had to reflect on that every single
time. For me personally, just having that drilled into my head from a really, really young age.”
During her high school career, Bauer was president and vice-president of Key Club, a Kiwanis-affiliated service club. Bauer also
worked with Invisible Children. “It helps find child soldiers in Uganda,” Bauer said. “They find the children because they are trained to
kill from a very young age. They find the children, get them out of the environment they are in and teach them. Basically, they
unbrainwash them because they have been brainwashed for a long time. It helps them get into school and get their lives straight. I did
that for quite a long time.”
Stephanie Muñoz came to Madison for her freshman year at Verona Area High School. She felt alone. “I became really close to my
high school counselor. She told me a lot about community service and got me really interested in just helping out. And the feeling I got
after helping out is what kept me going and kept me continuing to seek places where I could give service. One of my main foci was the
multicultural leadership council, which really wasn’t community service, but it started a program at Verona High School that we call
Multicultural Week. It builds bridges between cultures. The theme of my high school years was to build bridges. I was in Multicultural
Leadership Council, Bridges I, Bridges II and Staff Bridges. Anything I could do with that, I did. I volunteered with the Obama Campaign
for Change. I made thousands of phone calls. It was like a part-time job. I worked 20 hours per week just making phone calls. Election
Day, I didn’t go to school because I was running around the neighborhood putting flyers up and handing out stickers.”
Each of the Community Scholars plans to continue their same vein of community service. Serrano plans to be involved with the
Association of Latino(a) Students and seek out occasions where she can share her culture and language with other Edgewood
students. Bauer plans to found a branch of Circle K International — Key Club on a college level — at Edgewood. And Muñoz plans to
continue to build bridges between people of different cultures at Edgewood.
Community service wasn’t a way for these three to get into college, a youthful fad that they will “grow out of.” It is a basic
approach to life that they will continue into adulthood.
Serrano who plans to pursue a career in communications feels that service is a way of life. “I like to look at myself as a really
compassionate person,” Serrano said. “Even when I am old, I still want to give to the community. We come into this world not only to
live our lives, but also to share with other people what you know.
Bauer plans to join Teach for America when she graduates and join her sister who is teaching in the program out in Brooklyn, New
York. “Giving back is such an amazing feeling that you can’t even put into words,” Bauer emphasized. “I want my kids and my family to
have that experience and know that helping people is one of the best feelings you could have. Helping people makes a huge impact on
the world. Everyone has to pitch in. And when everyone pitches in, it makes the world even stronger.”
Muñoz plans to attend medical school after graduating from Edgewood and become an anesthesiologist. Community service runs
in her blood. “I will never be selfish,” Muñoz emphasized. “I would be lost without the relationships that I build with people through
service. I definitely see myself as Jasmine said passing it on to the generations of my family. Whatever it may be, if it is quilting
blankets because I can’t move, I will be doing something.”
All three students are grateful that they will be able to attend college because of the scholarships and opportunity that Edgewood
College is giving them. Perhaps Serrano said it best. “My parents didn’t go to college. I have younger brothers who look up to me; it is
a great feeling to know that your younger brothers are looking up to you and I am leading the way. Knowing that we fulfilled our parents’
American Dream because they didn’t have the chance to is huge.”
Indeed Serrano, Bauer and Muñoz will be fulfilling the dreams of their parents and those who came before them as they help others
through service fulfill their dreams. And there is no finer feeling on this earth.
By Jonathan Gramling
While they have been on separate paths
during their high school careers, Nazka
Serrano, Jasmine Bauer and Stephanie Muñoz
have shared the same spirit of community
service and will follow the same road through
Edgewood College as its 2010 Community
While they have been on separate paths
during their high school careers, Nazka
Serrano, Jasmine Bauer and Stephanie Muñoz
have shared the same spirit of community
service and will follow the same road through
Edgewood College as its 2010 Community
| Incoming Community Scholars: Stephanie Muñoz (l-r), Jasmine Bauer and Nazka Serrano |
Incoming Community Scholars: Stephanie Muñoz
(l-r), Jasmine Bauer and Nazka Serrano
(l-r), Jasmine Bauer and Nazka Serrano