More than 100 donors across generations of Pharmacy Badgers rally to invest in student success
Once a Badger, always a Badger. That phrase was coined to reflect the lifelong connections built on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. And once a year, Badgers rally together to deepen those connections through a party to pay it forward: the Day of the Badger.
Held each spring, the Day of the Badger campaign spans campus and 1,848 minutes of giving. And this year, on April 14–15, alumni and friends of the UW–Madison School of Pharmacy showed their generosity: 105 donors contributed more than $17,000 in support of current and future pharmacy students, with 90 of those gifts directed to the Pharmacy Student Success and Support Fund.
“The Day of the Badger is such a nice way to remind folks about how they can give back,” says Amy Kennedy (PharmD ’08), an alum and campaign donor. “Since we live in such a busy world, having a dedicated event is a nice reminder of how to help.”
Kennedy, whose own time at the School was shaped by donor support, was motivated to give back at both levels — as an individual donor and through the Board of Visitors challenge, which encourages alumni to become first-time supporters and help current donors stretch their dollars further. If the School reaches 143 gifts — a number chosen to honor 143 years of pharmacy education at UW–Madison — by June 30, the Board of Visitors members will donate an additional $12,000.
“My time at the school was so deeply impacted by financial support,” Kennedy says, “and college has only gotten more expensive. If I can ease the burden even a little bit for students, I am happy to help.”
Students at the center
The dollars raised through Day of the Badger flow directly into career programming, milestone events like the White Coat Ceremony, and student support, giving students experiences ranging from national conference attendance to community outreach.
Through a travel grant from the Student Success and Support Fund, third-year PharmD student Chaise Morgan Pucek attended the American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting in March 2026, an experience she described as extending well beyond the classroom.
“Our alumni and friends of the School literally make opportunities possible for our students to shape their lives”
–Ed Portillo
“The experience complemented my didactic education by bringing policy, leadership, and professional identity formation to life,” she says. “It strengthened my confidence as a leader. I plan to apply what I learned by continuing to be actively involved in professional organizations, mentoring other students, and advocating for the pharmacy profession.”
As PharmD students, Jenny Velikodanov (PharmD ’26) and Tenzin Tadhey (PharmD ’26) each attended the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ Midyear Clinical Meeting in December 2025, one of the largest gatherings of health-system pharmacists in the country.
“I gained insight into real-world health system pharmacy operations, leadership decision-making, and residency program structure that I would not have otherwise accessed through coursework alone,” says Velikodanov. “Engaging directly with pharmacy leaders and residents allowed me to understand how administrative strategy, clinical practice, and outcomes measurement intersect in complex academic medical centers.”
For Tadhey, the conference offered a chance to expand her awareness of ongoing pharmacy research that she could apply for her future patients, as well as expand her network.
“My pharmacy network grew as a result of the conference, as I got to connect with residents and fellow Badgers all across the nation,” she says.
Back in Madison, Caroline Roach, a Pharmaceutical Sciences graduate student, organized the School’s participation in the Wisconsin Science Festival, also supported by the Student Success and Support Fund. At the Madison Night Market’s Science on the Square event in October 2025, her team used pH indicators to demonstrate how medicines neutralize stomach acid, engaging members of the broader community. A week later, at the Science Expo for K–8 students, participants designed and tested their own pill coatings in a mock stomach environment.
“We were able to talk to kids about different medicines they may have taken, how they work, and all the work that goes into them to help inspire them to be curious about science and medicine,” Roach says. The events also helped students develop science communication skills and forge connections the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and the Morgridge Institute for Research.
Badgers give back
Day of the Badger draws its strength from the full breadth of the Pharmacy Badger community: alumni, parents, faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, and friends. The Pharmacy Alumni Association is aiming to get even recent alumni involved, matching up to $3,000 in donations by those who graduated since 2015.
“In my first year serving as our associate dean for advancement, I have been so inspired by the impact of our more than 9,000 alumni living around the world,” says Ed Portillo (PharmD ’14), who on top of his advancement role also serves as an associate professor of pharmacy. “Our alumni and friends of the School literally make opportunities possible for our students to shape their lives. Gifts on Day of the Badger lead to student experiences that are formative and transformative for their more than 30-year careers serving the public.”
For Kennedy, the motivation is simple and enduring.
“Pharmacy school is incredibly rigorous, rightfully so,” she says. “If support can help students work an outside job less so they can focus on their studies and get better sleep, I’m all for it.”
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