Written by Mia McCauley, Student Affairs Intern
On Sept. 3, 2024, new students will receive an official welcome to campus during New Student Convocation. Not only do UW’s newest Badgers have the chance to experience performances by the UW Marching Band and an introduction to faculty, staff, and leadership; they will most importantly connect with fellow classmates. They will also hear from graduating senior and Newman Civic Fellow (2024–25) Amanjot Kaur.
Kaur understands the experience of acclimating to UW–Madison as a first-year student and can relate to starting a university career in the midst of an election year. Now pursuing majors in both political science and legal studies, she is passionate about educating students and the campus community on the importance of voting.
Kaur has been dedicated to getting out the vote since high school, canvassing thousands of voters in Waukesha County during the 2020 presidential election and COVID-19 pandemic. In her time at UW–Madison, she has interned with the BadgersVote Coalition, co-founded the Student Voters Union, and now serves as the civic and resource chair of Chup! Go Vote. In this role, Amanjot supports Chup! Go Vote’s mission to amplify the voices of South Asians across America while “[advocating] for issues and [supporting] communities so that people find meaning in showing up to the polls and believe that their vote matters.”
“There are so many opportunities to get involved within the broader Madison community,” Kaur says. “Many students come to this campus, live here for four years, understand the environment very intimately, but they don’t necessarily understand the surrounding community. Our campus has such a tremendous impact on both local and state government issues, and that’s important to recognize.”
Even beyond civic engagement, Kaur encourages students to utilize UW as a way to foster new experiences of exploration.
“Coming to Madison, many of us hold the same fears. At such a large campus, we may question how we can discover a community that feels right to us or even how we’ll find our people. Yet, at the same time, the vastness of our campus is what makes it beautiful and unique,” Kaur shares. “Embrace the discomfort, try something new, and put yourself out there. Everyone can find their place here.”
New Student Convocation is a featured event hosted by the Office of the Chancellor as part of Wisconsin Welcome, a program within the Office of Student Transition and Family Engagement in Student Affairs. This multi-week celebration invites new freshmen and transfer students to discover Madison, meet fellow Badgers, and find their campus community. Visit go.wisc.edu/welcome for additional information and events.