By Regina McConnell
East Madison Community Center
The Woody Carey Community Scholarship program was started in the fall of 2013 after the passing of long-term board member Dr. Ellwood “Woody” Carey. Woody served as a volunteer on the East Madison Community Center (EMCC) Board of Directors for over 25 years and held various board positions over his tenure. In addition, Woody was one of the original members of EMCC’s fundraising group, the EMCC Resource Development Team. He was asked to become a member of the team due to his positive attitude and extensive contacts in the community.
The scholarship program is a meaningful and long lasting tribute to Woody’s legacy, loving spirit and positive values, especially in the area of equal opportunities. This program is especially meaningful because, when he went to college, the scholarships he obtained were essential to him being able to afford to attend. The EMCC has awarded five exemplary students with scholarships as a result of this year’s awards.
1. Pau Xiong is attending UW-Madison to study Computer Science. She said, “I started working on my own at EMCC in April 2016. I loved it then and I still love it now. This community helped me grow, learn and become friends with people who would change my life. I believe it even pushed my efforts in school, helped me persevere through many obstacles and challenges, and grow not only as student but as a human being.”
2. Victoria Greer is attending Howard University to study Strategic, Legal and Management Communication. She said, “The East Madison Community Center has given so much to me by pushing me to help others in my community, and I hope to embody this giving spirit on my new journey.”
3. Alexandria “Ally” Becker is attending Madison College to study Nursing. She said, “Having someone believe in me enough to award me with a scholarship has helped me believe in myself as well. I didn’t have a lot of that growing up. I feel it helps me to hold myself to a higher standard and work harder. Being awarded a scholarship is a heart-warming act that I hope to pay forward by creating my own scholarship to help students obtain their dreams.”
4. Anastasia Vongkoth is attending UW Stevens Point studying Social Work. She said, “I want to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in social work and hopefully land a stable job as a social worker at either a school or have my own office as one handling family issues.”
5. Olivia Dawson is attending Madison College studying Nursing. She said, “As an African American woman in the health care field, I want to help specifically improve the health care given to minority populations. My goal is to specialize in women’s health and help serve underrepresented communities.”