GridgeFridge

In this episode of GridgeFridge, we dive into how one local agricultural nonprofit organization, Rooted, runs its multifaceted mission to build community-led food systems, making fresh, quality food accessible to everyone.

Urban farms, community gardens and a neighborhood center are just some of the cornerstones to how Rooted strengthens its community outreach and development. Education is a pillar of Rooted’s efforts to integrate community-led food systems, and one of their partnerships is with Badger Rock Middle School, a project-based charter school. Rooted provides the middle school students with gardening and culinary lessons and works with Slowfood UW to get connected with college volunteers to help at the middle school.

We spoke with Rooted’s Director of Urban Agriculture Education at its Madison South locations and two UW students who previously worked at Badger Rock Middle School, Kiley Ystenes and Addy Von Bernthal, who now work as executive directors for Slowfood UW. 

Their unique perspectives offer insight into how community assets, needs and ideas are essential to strengthening food access for all populations. 

Together, they offer not just a visualized goal of a community-led food system, but the steps a community can take to make fresh, affordable and sustainable food a lasting part of its livelihood.

In this episode of GridgeFridge, we explore the burgeoning housing crisis in Madison and the ways in which it intersects with health and well-being for students and community members alike.

Through conversations with UW students and staff, affordable housing advocates, mental health professionals, and community leaders, we examine how rising rents, limited availability, and unstable living conditions are reshaping life on and off the UW–Madison campus.

From students navigating lease pressure and luxury apartment “affordable housing” units, to longtime Madison residents witnessing the impacts of housing insecurity, we explore how housing instability impacts far more than where someone rests their head at night. It affects physical and mental health, academic and professional success, and someone's sense of stability and belonging.

This episode features perspectives from UW–Madison student Angel Delgado, University Health Services Director of Mental Health Services Dr. Ellen Marks, Porchlight Executive Director Karla Thennes, realtor and business owner Tiffany Malone, former Madison alderperson and current Odyssey Project Success Coach Brian Benford, career journalist and professor Sue Robinson, and real estate faculty member Paul Aylesworth.

And together, they offer their thoughts and reflections on the pressures, tradeoffs, and systemic challenges that continue to shape who is able to live, stay, and thrive in Madison.

As the city continues to grow, the question becomes not just how to build more housing, but how to create housing that is truly affordable, accessible, and sustainable for the people who call Madison home.

In our final episode of the semester, we are joined by two Morgridge Center interns, Preet Talwar and Estrella Garza.

These two soon-to-be graduates have made a substantial impact on the Morgridge and Madison community, working to fulfill the center’s mission every day.

Preet is studying psychology and consumer behavior & marketplace studies with certificates in criminal justice and entrepreneurship, and Estrella is studying elementary education and educational policy studies with minors in early childhood education and English as a second language.

In this episode of GridgeFridge, we sit down with Dr. Ellen Marks, director of Mental Health Services at University Health Services (UHS) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Ellen first came to UW–Madison as part of a one-year internship for her doctoral training. Ten years later, she’s still here, sustained by her family, the campus community and the ability to build a life here.

Now, she is an emerging mental health leader, managing clinical care, crisis response and program development–all while continuing to counsel students.

In her time at UHS, Ellen has witnessed the evolving  mental health landscape for college students, one shaped by academic pressure, isolation, identity development and broader societal pressures.

In this episode of GridgeFridge, we are joined by Amy Liang, a junior at UW–Madison and a Wisconsin Idea Fellow working in partnership with the Literacy Network of Dane County. Amy’s fellowship project focuses on improving health literacy for immigrant and ESL communities in Madison.

Through tailored workshops offered in English, Spanish, and Hmong, Amy’s work helps people learn how to navigate healthcare systems, understand medical instructions, and access local resources, giving them confidence and freedom in spaces that often feel inaccessible.

In our final GridgeFridge episode of the semester, we are joined by Dr. Jessica Lee Stovall, an assistant professor in the Department of African American Studies at UW–Madison.

Dr. Stovall’s research explores how Black teachers create liberatory and sustaining spaces within schools, using Black Studies as a framework for reimagining education.

She has received recognition for her work through fellowships from the Ford Foundation, Spencer Foundation, and Fulbright Program.

At UW, she’s developing new courses that connect students with the legacy and ongoing impact of Black thought.

In this episode of GridgeFridge, we’re talking with Jordyn Czyzewski and Mae Moen, some of the student leaders behind Rewear It Wisconsin. Jordyn is the President of ReWear It, and Mae is the Community Outreach Director.

They work together as part of an executive team to reshape how UW–Madison students think about clothing, consumption, and sustainability.

In this special episode of GridgeFridge, we venture on a walking tour throughout campus, to learn about the spooks within Science Hall and the boos behind Bascom Hill. With notable stops including the “axe in the stacks” attack of graduate Susan Oldenburg in Memorial Library 1979, or the shocking former life of Bascom Hill and all the history buried beneath its soil.  

These chilling stories discuss some of the most traumatic events occurring on the UW-Madison campus, turned hearsay amongst the student body. These stories allow for a time of reflection for the way disturbing stories shape campus history. They question how people’s memories are preserved through brick and mortar, and ask us to question why certain people’s legacies are remembered and whose are missing. 

When shared with care, these tales connect us to the place, each other, and the long, complicated histories that haunt every community. Ghost stories remind us that remembering is a kind of haunting all its own and we are invited to share in memoriam of these spirits respectfully and responsibly.

In this episode of GridgeFridge, we'll explore concepts related to what it means to be a first generation college student, equitability in the classroom, and the importance of authenticity, cultural recognition, and diversity with Brenda Yang.

Brenda is the assistant director of career communities at SuccessWorks at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also holds a position as the Dane County Board Supervisor for District 19 working on legislation that works to increase access as well as language support for non-english speaking communities within the Madison area.

In this episode of GridgeFridge, we sit down with UW-Madison's new and current Newman Civic Fellow, Devin Guthrie.

Devin's work exists at the intersection of environmental science, justice, and community engagement. President of We Outside, Devin has created opportunities for underrepresented students to access the outdoors. He has facilitated activities ranging from horseback riding to camping, while simultaneously pushing for more inclusive conversations about sustainability on campus.

Devin’s journey started in Milwaukee, WI, where his background sparked a passion for nature and a recognition of environmental disparities. Now, through his fellowship and leadership roles, he’s focused on building stronger connections between UW and surrounding communities, uplifting underrepresented voices, and shaping what a more equitable environmental future could look like.