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Sadek wins coveted Bascom award

University of Wisconsin junior Sara Sadek can breathe a bit easier for the next academic year, since she is the first person to have her tuition and room and board paid for in full by the UW Bascom Hill Society Scholarship.

Sadek said finding out she won the scholarship was "one of the happiest moments of her life."

"It's a blessing, and I think about it every day," Sadek added. "I'm really glad to start the semester and the year knowing I have my finances taken care of."

The UW Bascom Hill Society is a group within the UW Foundation that recognizes people who have made lifetime donations of $25,000 or more to UW.

Chris DuPre, writer and editor for UW Foundation, Madison's fundraising and gift-receiving organization, said there was a big push for more need-based scholarships, and BHS members saw the need to meet student financial concerns.

"There are need-based scholarships that are offered," DuPre said. "But this is one that was … open to anyone on campus."

DuPre added the BHS scholarship was a way for the organization to recognize a "deserving student."

"This is a way for the society itself to make a difference in the name of the society, as opposed to in the name of individuals," DuPre said.

To apply, Sadek and other applicants wrote an essay about how their educational and volunteer experiences are improving the world. They were also required to submit their transcripts and several letters of recommendation in the application.

Sadek said she wrote about her deep involvement in the international student organization

Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales, which provides American students the opportunity to have internships abroad and the opportunity for foreign students to have internships in America.

Sadek said she has spoken at AISEC forums with representatives from 97 different countries present.

"I have dedicated every free ounce of time outside my academics to AISEC because I really believe in its mission … to understand [foreign] culture and share our culture," Sadek said.

In addition, Sadek said she is triple majoring in Spanish, economics and international studies, and she somehow still makes time to enjoy the social life that is part of so many college students' lives here in Madison.

"I think UW is a great school where everybody works really hard, but they play really hard," Sadek said. "As long as you get a good balance of the two, it can be a really great experience."

But playing hard has certainly not limited Sadek's ambitions, as she hopes to pursue issues of public policy and international law.

"I know some issues I want to tackle; I don't know how I want to tackle [them] as of yet," she said.

Despite being the first recipient of the new scholarship, the honor still comes somewhat unexpectedly.

Sadek, who says her mission is to change the world, said she does not know why she was chosen to receive the lofty Bascom Hill Society Scholarship because she feels she has a great deal more to accomplish in her life before setting out to accomplish her high-minded dream.

"That's pretty ambitious," Sadek said. "I'm sure there are a lot of amazing people on this campus that have done equally notable things, so I am thankful that I have gotten [the scholarship]."