Who is Mike Alston? A community advocate with a calling for youth mentorship. Mike has worked with our youth in Madison in some capacity for over 15 years. As a young man who was plagued by gun violence, gangs and crime, which led him to incarceration at the tender age of 15, Mike was met by two mentors who guided him to find his purpose. Since then, he has vowed to pour back into our community.
His work in the community extends far beyond the Big West Game. Mike piloted the Community Safety Worker role and founded the Boys Against Odds Program at Focused Interruption. For the last few years, he has overseen a group of young men from high school age to about 21 years old. Some of these youth just so happen to attend or are Alumni of West High School in Madison, WI. While Mike prefers to stay lowkey, his impact on the youth has forced him into the spotlight on several occasions. He has received the Cross-Generational Mentor Award through Determination to Succeed, the Impact Award from the Urban League of Greater Madison Young Professionals, the Academic Advocate Award from Urban Triage and most recently he was nominated for the Social Impact Award through the Black Chamber of Commerce for his work with Focused Interruption.
Even though Mike is grateful for the awards, he doubles down on the fact that the biggest reward is seeing his mentees succeed. Under Mike’s guidance, his mentees have a 100% graduation rate. Some scholars have even received college scholarships, gone on to play college sports, became Mann Scholars and won the MLK Outstanding Youth Award, just to name a few accomplishments. Mike is a Student Engagement Specialist at West High School and has been part of the staff for five years.
This past April marked year four for The Big West Game. When I asked Mike about his “why” and what made him start The Big West Game Fundraiser, his response was, “For the past five years, my mission has been rooted in a simple but powerful truth: it takes a village. I started this journey to bridge the gap between education and community, intentionally introducing our students to the leaders who reflect their limitless potential. By blending entertainment with empowerment, we are creating spaces where Madison’s youth feel seen, supported, and celebrated. Beyond the mentorship and the events, the beating heart of this work is singular: to forge an unbreakable unity within Madison’s Black community, building a legacy of collective triumph for the generations to come.” Each year the students of West High’s BSU committee play against the “Madison Heroes.” The Madison Heroes team is put together through nominations that come from community members. Those community members then come together, no matter their athletic ability, to play against the young, in-shape, very agile, never-ending-energy, BSU committee.
Throughout the years, the fundraiser has had highs and lows. The first two years, the Madison Heroes team took the win. Year three was struck with tragedy by the untimely loss of one of Mike’s former students, Deshawn “Sturk” Sturkey. This made year three feel heavy, but one thing you can count on is the black community coming together when one of us has fallen. Through the pain of this loss, Mike remained focused and spoke with the BSU committee and quickly agreed that any funds raised would go to Deshawn’s family to assist with any funeral costs. The community showed up in droves and raised thousands. For the first time, with the help of Deshawn’s brother, the BSU squad took the win and his brother won MVP. Year four presented an opportunity for BSU to tie the record. This was also the first year when most of the Madison Heroes nominees didn’t have any basketball background. This created a recipe for a WrestleMania level smackdown spearheaded by the West BSU. Within minutes, the BSU team was up 13-0 and ultimately took the win by scoring over 100 points and sending the Madison Heroes home with bumps, bruises, and smiles; because regardless of the outcome, a time was had. Mike has already started planning for year five. Bigger…better… a weekend affair instead of just a day. Year five will hopefully bring back some Madison Hero all-stars and the largest crowd thus far. If you’re looking for an opportunity to give back to our youth or know of a community hero who you believe deserves a spot on next year’s roster, please keep the Big West Game on your radar and be on the lookout for promotional material for 2027.
It’s people like Mike Alston who our community needs. Someone who steps up, does intentional work, and creates opportunities for the next generation.
