Campus Connection

Scholarship created to honor UWL education alum who lived, learned ‘full-throttle’

UWL alumnus Jason Letizia could read a several-hundred-page book in a day. He was learning Arabic on his car CD player, traveling to foreign countries and always acquiring knowledge. “His whole life was about learning,” says his sister, Megan (Letizia) Chamberlain. “There wasn’t a day he didn’t learn something … and there wasn’t a day that he didn’t teach you.” Letizia’s family didn’t realize the extent of his love of learning until he died Nov. 20, 2015, and they received a bill in the mail from UW-Milwaukee where he was working on a doctorate. They were unaware he had started the degree despite being in and out of the hospital and awaiting a second liver transplant. Letizia’s health problems started with a Crohn’s Disease diagnosis at age 15, and continued with many other medical issues, including the need for two liver transplants. Despite his health, he had a “full-throttle” approach to life and learning, says his brother, Justin. That’s why it is so fitting a scholarship was recently created in Jason’s name that will help UWL students learn for generations to come. The Jason Letizia Learn Strong Scholarship will award $1,000 annually to a UWL senior majoring in secondary education. The title “Learn Strong” reflects Jason’s full-throttle approach — one he applied while earning his undergraduate degree in education at UWL. At UWL, Jason took full advantage of involvement opportunities on campus by serving on Student Senate, working as a resident assistant, studying abroad and more. Jason didn’t just love learning, he dedicated his career to helping others learn. He was a full-time teacher at Oak Creek High School for 10 years. “We continue to hear from students he taught, teachers he worked with and college friends,” says Richard, Jason’s father. “We didn’t realize all the people he touched in his life.” Jason would have smiled to learn a scholarship at UWL will continue his life’s work of inspiring learning, says Justin. “To know that his legacy would be continuing — I think he would think that was the best thing that he could ever wish for,” adds Megan. Scholarship starts with donation from a college friend College friend and roommate Marc Gall, ’03, donated $25,000 to create the scholarship to honor Jason Letizia as part of a $50,000 donation to the UWL Foundation. Gall saw Letizia’s commitment to helping others throughout college, particularly while serving on Student Senate. “He spent a lot of time giving back to the university and ensuring that he left the place better than when he started,” says Gall. Letizia continued his commitment to serving others when he became a teacher, adds Gall. The scholarship aims to build on Letizia’s legacy of serving others while supporting educators who are worthy of more recognition, says Gall. ----- The UWL scholarship isn’t the first to honor Jason Letizia. The family also started a scholarship at Oak Creek High School where he taught. Two scholarships were awarded this past May to graduating seniors.