University of Wisconsin-Madison senior and 2014 Rhodes Scholar Drew Birrenkott will continue his studies at Oxford University in England after graduation, but as a true Wisconsin native, he said there are certain things he will miss.
“Keeping up with my Wisconsin sports is going to be tough,” Birrenkott said. “I’ll miss waking up on Saturday morning and being able to go to Camp Randall and watch the Badgers.”
Birrenkott, who credits the university for many of his successes to date, said he appreciates the diversity of individuals he has encountered and worked with here.
“My favorite thing about campus is all the people,” he said. “We’ve got a very vibrant and interconnected community.”
Throughout his time at UW-Madison, Birrenkott said he has had the opportunity to work on various projects in the fields of his three majors, which include political science, biochemistry and biomedical engineering.
Several of these projects have impacted the international community, including implementing water filtration systems in Kenya and helping to design monitors for infants with cardio and respiratory problems in developing countries, he said.
Through his work and research, Birrenkott said he realized how interrelated his areas of academic focus are.
Birrenkott expected the majority of his work in Kenya to involve engineering design implementation, but quickly came to see that about 70 percent of the time was spent listening to and working with community members, a matter closely related to political science.
“It’s just surprising how much policy and interacting with people goes into all sorts of engineering projects,” Birrenkott said.
He said he looks forward to combining all three of his majors while exploring development studies and sustainable health care solutions at Oxford.
According to Birrenkott, the biggest difficulty facing global development is recognizing the different aspects that go into development policy and implementation and the necessity for a “collaborative approach” to tackle these issues.
“I think that’s kind of the call of our generation is to look at that and address it in a sustainable fashion that keeps in the mind the dignity and self-perseverance of the people in those countries,” Birrenkott said.
Birrenkott said he knows his journey across the Atlantic will bring many new challenges, but he is excited for the education experience ahead.
And while he is away from American football, he said he hopes to keep up with sports by joining one of Oxford’s intercollegiate rugby teams.
