{"id":13504,"date":"2026-03-30T09:08:43","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=13504"},"modified":"2026-03-30T09:08:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T14:08:44","slug":"bolstered-by-scholarships-first-gen-warhawk-driven-to-help-peers","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/bolstered-by-scholarships-first-gen-warhawk-driven-to-help-peers\/","title":{"rendered":"Bolstered by scholarships, first-gen Warhawk driven to help peers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Photo<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marco Cortes-Lema, an accounting<\/a> major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, wants to see his fellow students succeed. A leader of several student organizations on campus and a former resident assistant<\/a>, he strives to build community on campus and lift others up in their academics and their daily lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a first-generation college student<\/a>, Cortes-Lema appreciates how the university sets students up for success. Resources offered to first-gen students and accounting majors \u2014 like workshops and guest speakers \u2014 demonstrate the support that Cortes-Lema values so highly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re always trying to prepare you for whatever stage you\u2019re at, at UW-Whitewater,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encouraged by his family to continue his education beyond high school, Cortes-Lema chose to study accounting at UW-Whitewater because of the university\u2019s accessibility. Affordable, within one hour of his hometown of Stoughton, Wisconsin, and home to Wisconsin\u2019s largest business school, UW-Whitewater is the perfect fit for Cortes-Lema. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through supportive professors, scholarships, and his own determined attitude, Cortes-Lema, who will graduate in May 2027, has forged his own path toward success. He\u2019s been recognized on the Dean\u2019s List several times for academic achievement, though it could be difficult at times with his busy schedule and rigorous studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don’t really ever give up,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s always the goal to make [the Dean\u2019s List].\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scholarships drive focus on student experience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Marco
John and Tashia Morgridge, the founders of the Fund For Wisconsin Scholars, pose for a picture with Marco Cortes-Lema, an accounting student from Stoughton. The Morgridges came to UW-Whitewater to meet with current scholars and to celebrate the success of the fund, which provides need-based grants to talented graduates of Wisconsin public high schools who attend public, four-year universities in the state.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As the recipient of several scholarships<\/a>, he\u2019s been able to focus on what he feels is essential \u2014 his academics and campus involvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he received his most recent scholarship, the Thomas M. Smith Accounting Scholarship, Cortes-Lema couldn\u2019t believe it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never thought that, as a first-generation student, that [scholarships were] a possibility for me. Coming from a small town where they didn\u2019t really help kids that were first generation or anything like that, it was a little surreal to see,\u201d he said. \u201cMy hard work is actually paying off now.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to scholarships, UW-Whitewater supports students through hands-on learning experiences, including internships. As the University Center\u2019s Enrichment Intern, Cortes-Lema creates events to expose students to new perspectives and to promote community on campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cortes-Lema recently organized \u201cThreads of Love and Friendship\u201d<\/a> to introduce students to Latin American culture\u2019s emphasis on friendship during the Valentine\u2019s Day season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want people to feel lonely on that day. I want to show you how my culture celebrates it, so then maybe you look at it in a different way and you\u2019ll be able to express yourself that way and meet new people,\u201d Cortes-Lema said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though he\u2019s now embedded in campus life as the president of Lambda Alpha Upsilon<\/a> (Latino America Unido), vice president of Intercultural Greek Council<\/a>, and general body member of Latinos Unidos (LU)<\/a>, Cortes-Lema didn\u2019t always prioritize community on campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he first arrived at UW-Whitewater, he worried his entire college career would be limited to the classroom, the library, and his dorm room, until he was invited to a Latinos Unidos meeting and realized the difference that community could make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Students
Latinos Unidos members begin the year enjoying food at a picnic at Starin Park on Sept. 12, 2024.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing first-gen comes with challenges, and I don’t want students to go through that alone. I want them to know that there’s people like me \u2014 not only me, but other people that want to help them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fulfilling this mission, Cortes-Lema, working with several other students, started a new chapter of the Association of Professional Latinos for America (ALPFA) at UW-Whitewater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1972, ALPFA operates at a national level to empower Latino professionals to make a difference in their local communities and in the global economy. It equips its members with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in their professional fields. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want [our chapter of ALPFA] to be this foundation and to really start [students\u2019] success or to show them what\u2019s possible,\u201d Cortes-Lema said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given his other organizations, his courseload, and all the hard work that goes into starting a new student organization of this scale, it hasn\u2019t been easy, but Cortes-Lema is learning to balance it all and to rely on the community he\u2019s built. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After graduation, Cortes-Lema plans to continue his education, either through a CPA (certified public accountant) license or a master\u2019s degree in accounting. He hopes to continue his mission of help and support through opening his own accounting firm in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every experience and challenge Cortes-Lema has encountered has reinforced his passion for learning and confidence in his path to a degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnybody can make it, no matter where you come from,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Written by Abigail Dotzler| Photos by Craig Schreiner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uww.edu\/news\/archive\/2026-3-scholarship-first-gen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marco Cortes-Lema, an accounting major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, wants to see his fellow students succeed. A leader of several student organizations on campus and a former resident assistant, he strives to build community on campus and lift others up in their academics and their daily lives.  As a first-generation college student, Cortes-Lema appreciates how the university sets […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[84],"story_category":[147],"class_list":["post-13504","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-whitewater","story_category-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13504"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13504"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}