Eliana

Student Ambassador

she/her/hers

Hometown: Ellicott City, MD

Year: First-Year

Major: Psychology

Involvement: Filipinx American Student Organization (FASO), Hoofer Scuba Club, Badger Volunteers (I’m also exploring joining Running Club, Badger Food Pantry, and Best Buddies)

If I could describe UW–Madison in three words, they would be: Welcoming, limitless, vibrant

At first, I was pretty resistant to the idea of going to school anywhere north of Maryland, but UW–Madison completely changed my mind. Part of it was the people I met touring Madison for the first time. I found myself looking up to them, drawn to how genuine they were and how passionate they seemed about being here, and I knew I wanted to surround myself with people like that.

The campus itself felt like it was built for connection; spaces like the Terrace and the Lakeshore Path aren’t just beautiful, they’re designed for people to actually gather and know each other. There’s also something special about how the campus makes you feel like you’re in nature and in the middle of a city at the same time — lakes and trails minutes from downtown-energy.

There are so many opportunities to explore yourself and become a better person. With over 1,000 student organizations and endless ways to get involved, I knew this was a place where I could keep discovering new sides of myself for four years, and that felt like exactly what I was looking for.