Ellen Conroy- Reaching for Excellence

Ellen ConroyInspired by her mother, Ellen Conroy, who plans to become a pediatrician, doesn’t believe in stopping at “good enough.” The Wren Torgerson Scholarship allows her to worry less about how she pays for tuition, books and housing as she pursues her dream and may also allow her to volunteer abroad.

Why did you choose the UW-Madison?

Because of the great student atmosphere that you find here. I love learning alongside many other intelligent students who work hard at classes, but also find time to relax and have fun. The academic reputation here was also of importance for me. I am lucky to learn from many intelligent professors and have opportunities to conduct research.

What activities are you involved in outside the classroom?

I’m a member of AED– a premedical society, MEDLIFE–an organization that participates in mobile medical clinics in Central America, and EDGE– an organization that does research for a community in Uganda and travels to the community to implement those research ideas. I also volunteer at Head Start, Meriter Hospital and as a Girl Scout leader. In additional, I work as a research assistant at the Laryngeal Physiology Lab and just submitted my first paper!

Who is your inspiration?

I am inspired by my mom. She worked hard to go back to school and be a mother at the same time in order to achieve her dream career. She doesn’t stop at ‘good enough’ and I don’t want to either.