Arianna Domek

My name is Arianna Domek. I recently graduated from James Madison Memorial High School. My twin sister and I are the first young women in our family, besides our mother, to continue on to a college education. As well as a twin sister, I have a younger sister; my sisters and I were raised by our single mother in Seattle, WA later moving here to Madison, her home town. My mother taught me at a young age the importance of working hard and encouraged me to dive into my interests. Her encouragement, -to say the least- has contributed to my dedication to my academics and involvement in extracurriculars.

In my free time I enjoy hiking at the state parks, running cross country, cooking, speaking Spanish and playing the clarinet. This past year, I committed to a 6 month training program called AMIGOS. AMIGOS is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that sends college and high school students to various countries in Latin America to complete an asset based project. I will be spending my summer in Yucatan, Mexico for 6 weeks. I hope to make an impact on the community, embrace the culture, strengthen my Spanish and build relationships within the community.

This fall on campus, I plan to study both Biology and Spanish. As well as studying, I plan to volunteer, join on-campus organizations and truly become a part of the Badger community. I’d like to join the sailing and running team, become apart of the women’s club and student government, and volunteer at the local hospitals. In the future, I would like to attend medical school to become a doctor focusing on treating those who cannot afford medical care. I dream to specialize in pediatric surgery and take part in research opportunities to further the knowledge of medicine. Though these aspirations and goals will be hard to reach, I have no doubt in my mind that I obtain the capabilities to reach them. In addition to medicine, I'm very interested in the Spanish culture and language. So, ideally in the future I’d like to use medicine and my spanish speaking abilities in my everyday life.

In the future, I envision a society in which women scientists are treated completely equally, where a pay-gap or discrimination are nonexistent. Such a vision will take many years, but I later hope to contribute to this change.

Throughout high school, I worked unbelievably hard to get into my dream school, UW-Madison. Financially, UW-Madison was impossible for me to attend; it was too expensive due to both my twin sister and I attending college this coming year. One afternoon when my high school counselor presented my friend and I with the news of the scholarship, my heart stopped and I was overwhelmed with gratitude. UW-Madison was now attainable. I’m proud to say next year I’m fortunate enough to be attending my dream school, UW-Madison and that wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of the Arndt Family. The Arndt Family Scholarship has made it possible for me not only to further my education but truly has broadened my interest in giving back to my community through volunteering. With receiving this scholarship, my family is able to send both my twin sister and I to a four year university; which we are so thankful for. I’m so grateful to be able to truly dive into my studies and interests at UW-Madison and that wouldn’t be possible without The Arndt Family and friends.