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DAVID
STLUKA
helped her realize that plastic and reconstructive
surgery would be a good fit for her.
"I enjoy the breadth, diversity and impact of plas-
tic and reconstructive surgery," she explains. "In that
rotation, one surgical procedure seemed even more
interesting than the last," she says. "I was excited
about every day because the patients were so grate-
ful, and the whole staff seemed happy. That's what
medicine is all about."
A Natural Leader and Team Player
B
urish also has been heavily involved
in several other activities, including
the Healthy Classrooms Founda-
tion, a nonprofit group run by students
that provides grants for school programs
to help make classrooms a healthier place
to learn.
She has participated in the MEDiC
student-run free clinics that serve low-
income and homeless people; the Mentor-
ship Achievement Program, in which med-
ical students offer advice on life, sports,
class work and friendships to elementary
and middle school students; and Doctors
Ought to Care (DOC), a program in which
medical students provide health educa-
tion in local schools.
Burish feels her experiences playing
hockey and serving as the championship
team's captain will be instrumental in her
medical career.
"A surgeon is someone people look up
to, and everyone on the team plays a role,"
she explains. "It's a combination of real-
izing that you can be a leader, and that
you value those around you. The whole
team dynamic is important to me, and the
SMPH does a great job of building team
players and letting you know you are part
of a team and a family."
Badger Roots Run Deep
B
urish admits that she misses hockey, which
runs deep in her family. Her brother Adam
served as the captain of the UW men's hockey
team that won the 2006 NCAA championship, won
the 2010 Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks,
and now plays for the San Jose Sharks in the Nation-
al Hockey League. She enjoys watching her brother
play hockey on television when she has the oppor-
tunity.
"Nikki embodies the spirit of the Burish family
and the Badgers," McBride said. "She is dedicat-
ed to her goals and to UW-Madison, she works
very hard, and she is generous with her time."
Burish was a team captain when the
Badgers won the NCAA title in 2006.
DAVID
STLUKA
