UW-Eau Claire – Barron County graduate earns national leadership scholarship

Her unexpected prize was a Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship, gifted annually to 25 current or incoming undergraduate students enrolled in a U.S. community college or four-year university. The $5,000 scholarship supports the academic pursuits of young activists working in their communities to carry on the legacy of Zamora, a health equity and social justice activist who died of an AIDS-related illness at just 22-years-old in 1994.

Quarders, now enrolled at UW-Eau Claire, learned of a need for reproductive health resources at UW-Eau Claire – Barron County after completing her first year of classes there in 2025. She sprang into action to acquire and manage reproductive health items and information for the two-year campus. Her work benefited not only students but the greater Rice Lake community.

A silent, unmet need for campus

Quarders had spoken openly about her reproductive health prior to being hired to work the front desk at the campus’s one-stop shop for students, known as the Solution Center. So, when a friend asked for information about birth control, Quarders realized others on campus may be lacking resources as well.

UW-Eau Claire has the Student Health Service and Gender and Sexuality Resource Center available on campus, but those same resources are far less accessible for those attending UW-Eau Claire – Barron County. Quarders says options off campus were limited as well.

“It’s a drought in Barron County. There are no reproductive health centers, and if there are, they are getting their funding taken away,” says Quarders, a Cameron native. “It’s very hush-hush, because nobody likes to talk about it.”

Quarders first approached Barb Ritzinger, director of the campus’s foundation, to ask about creating a space for reproductive health items within the campus food pantry, which is owned by the foundation. She then cleared the project with Dr. Abbey Fischer, UW-Eau Claire – Barron County’s campus director, and Sara Potter, the school’s retention coordinator.

The next step was to connect with local organizations to acquire lubricants, contraceptives, Plan B and reliable information. Quarders secured commitments from Embrace, Barron County Department of Health and Human Services and St. Croix Valley Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) to stock the shelves for the fall 2025 semester.

“We didn’t do a whole lot of advertising for it,” Quarders says, “but the shelf instantly got used.”

Quarders went to work restocking condoms and other items. Over the entire academic year, the campus used 40 emergency contraceptives, a number Quarders considers significant for a school with approximately 100 on-campus students.

This past spring, she learned Embrace had lost its grant funding used to purchase contraceptives. Quarders, an LGBTQ+ student, attended Chippewa Valley Pride in the Park in Eau Claire and formed a relationship with Menomonie-based Wisconsin Milkweed Alliance Inc. (WIMA) to acquire free contraceptives for the current academic year.

“We are so very, very proud of her,” Potter says. “So very, very proud.”

Every step is important

Recent winners of the scholarship have come from larger, more nationally known institutions such as UCLA and Brown University, which discouraged Quarders from applying.

Fischer and Potter encouraged Quarders to apply anyway after seeing the project's impact.

“Her contributions to our campus are impressive, meaningful and significant,” says Fischer, who worked closely with Quarders for two years. “She is developing as a leader, one who will lead with the best interests of the community at the forefront and who will lift others up so they too can lead and grow.”

Dr. Melissa Kozma, teaching professor of philosophy at UW-Eau Claire – Barron County, did not have Quarders as a student but was inspired by the project’s influence.

“It’s something hands-on that she did for our campus, for our fellow students,” Kozma says. “I’m not sure she knows how cool it is because it seems to just be part of her personality. You want this? Let’s get this going.”

Quarders says it’s easy to have imposter syndrome given UW-Eau Claire – Barron County’s small size, but she also feels every step is important.

“I started with emails and now we’re here,” Quarders says. “They’re all important, every little step that’s taken.”

The work continues

Before she began pursuing her studies at UW-Eau Claire, Quarders handed her project off to the next student assigned to work at the Solution Center desk. She created a spreadsheet of contacts and items received from suppliers to ensure relationships are maintained and records are accurately kept.

Quarders plans to stay involved in some capacity with UW-Eau Claire – Barron County, saying “I love that place with everything in me.” A social studies education major, Quarders plans to teach high schoolers in safe spaces where everyone can feel represented and can have civil dialogues about uncomfortable topics.

In the coming months, Quarders will be profiled by the National AIDS Memorial, which sponsors the scholarship. The funds she received will be used for undergraduate expenses. In the meantime, Quarders is thankful for the help of Fischer, Potter, Embrace, Barron County Health and Human Services, SART and WIMA for their encouragement and generous donations.