46 // VARSITY May 15, 2014
The hockey-playing siblings have Badger alumni
parents, Mark and Helen Burish. Mark holds a law
degree and Helen a bachelor's degree and master of
education degree from UW-Madison.
Proud of their daughter and son's accomplish-
ments, the couple has established the Adam and
Nikki Burish Family Scholarship to support future
Badger student athletes. School leaders have praised
the family's generosity to support an endowment,
noting that it has a direct effect on the
school's ability to make available the
best possible experience for student-
athletes.
"Nikki embodies the spirit of the
Burish family and the Badgers. She
is dedicated to her goals and to UW-
Madison, she works very hard, and
she is generous with her time. She
recognizes the value of her experienc-
es at UW-Madison and wants to give
back, just as her family has. We are so
proud of her," says Pat McBride, MD
'80, MPH, associate dean for students
at the School of Medicine and Public
Health.
Luckily, Burish still gets her hockey
fix as the only female member of a
UW intramural squad comprised of
physicians, residents and students.
The team plays at the Camp Randall
Memorial Sports Center, also known
as The Shell.
"There's nothing like being on the
ice and letting the cold air hit your
skin," she says. "It's an opportunity
to get out and be around other peo-
ple with the same passion, blow off
some steam, and work out some frus-
trations on the ice. I sometimes find
myself in the penalty box after a hard
exam or a long day."
This article originally appeared in
the winter 2014 issue of Quarterly,
published by the UW School of Medi-
cine and Public Health and the Wiscon-
sin Medical Alumni Association. You
can see the original post here.
"A SURGEON IS SOMEONE PEOPLE LOOK
UP TO, AND EVERYONE ON THE TEAM
PLAYS A ROLE," BURISH EXPLAINED. "IT'S A
COMBINATION OF REALIZING THAT YOU
CAN BE A LEADER, AND THAT YOU VALUE
THOSE AROUND YOU."
JOHN
MANIACI
