Madisyn Hill

Madisyn Hill
Posted on 05/24/2017
Madisyn Hill

Hello! My name is Madisyn Hill and I graduated from Ware High School in 2014. I am now a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). I am currently completing a major in Chemistry and minors in Biology and Hispanic Studies and have followed a pre-medical track. During high school, I was heavily involved with Student Government, Student Council, and National Honors Society. I also was an active athlete; I participated in soccer, softball, and basketball throughout my years at WJSHS. My time growing up in the Ware Public Schools (WPS) system shaped me into the person I am today. During my years, I developed my drive, ambition, and outlook on life that continues to propel me forward today.

 

Although I developed my personal work ethic while growing up in WPS, I have since become the person I am today because of the experiences that have been offered to me at UNC. I quickly found UNC to be my home away from home. After the end of my first year, I applied to UNC’s Honors College and was accepted. Honors Carolina has allowed me access to smaller class sizes and interesting course topics. Next semester I am taking a class with UNC’s Chief of Cardiology, and am absolutely thrilled to start it.  

 

I also joined various clubs on campus that have pushed and shaped my career path. The summer after my first year, I joined a club called Hands on Peru, and traveled independently to Trujillo, Peru. There I volunteered at numerous medical clinics to help with their limited resource availability and learned from doctors and nurses along the way. This trip was my first time traveling outside of the US independently and it allowed me to recognize the health care systems and lifestyle of a third world country. This trip was eye opening. It sparked my interest to continue pursing a career in health care. Thus, I decided to join another club on campus, Global Medical Training (GMT), in which students travel to South American countries during the week of Spring Break. During that week, students are able to assist in obtaining patient history of present illness and triage care at rural clinics in need. During March of 2016, I traveled to Nicaragua with GMT and was so inspired by it that I ran and was elected to be the Membership Chair for the organization. My role now is to lead and teach the new members all they need to know before they leave for their trip.

 

I entered UNC knowing that I wanted to study abroad. After traveling to two Spanish-speaking countries and taking four Spanish classes during my first two years of college, I was inspired to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain. My decision to study abroad was undeniably the best decision I have made thus far. It was while I was abroad that I strengthened my awareness of my global surroundings and history. I learned about my personal strengths and weaknesses. I learned to focus on other aspects that are important to life outside of my traditional science studies. I learned about cultures. I recognized diversity yet understood that the quality that separates one human from the next is indistinguishable. I learned to take risks. I am so thankful for my wonderful experience I had abroad. Sure, it wasn’t always easy navigating new places or understanding language barriers, but every day was a learning opportunity and an adventure.

 

On top of my abroad experiences, UNC has also allowed me to dive into the field of research. UNC is known to be among the best research universities and is located in the “Research Triangle” of North Carolina. During my sophomore year, I began working in a biology lab as an Undergraduate Research Assistant. Due to this experience, I am constantly exposed to the life of PhD students and am able to participate in hands on research and operate all of the laboratory machines.  

 

During my sophomore year, I joined my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, in which I found a group of women who were smart, motivated, inspired, and dedicated like myself. It is because of these women that I am continued to push to be the best version of myself every day. Last summer I also began volunteering as a counselor for a camp called Camp Kesem, a national student-lead camp for children whose parents had/have cancer. To see how these children are able to still be normal kids at camp despite all of the hardships they face on a daily basis is truly inspiring. My campers inspire me every day. I will be heading back to camp again this summer and truly cannot wait to see my campers.

 

So, now “Ware” am I? After coming back from being abroad, I realized my perspectives on a lot of things changed. It affirmed, once again, my career path to continue to pursue medicine because I realized that all people are humans and deserve equal rights. When I returned to UNC in the spring of my junior year, I applied to be a Medical Scribe for UNC’s Emergency Department. I was hired, and now I work as a scribe in the Emergency Department alongside Attending Physicians, Residents, PAs, NPs and nurses. I have the opportunity to be in the Emergency Room as doctors interview patients to obtain their present illness and information regarding their visit. I am very fortunate and thankful for my job because I have been able to learn an immense amount about medicine, the Emergency Department, and how doctors analyze patient’s symptoms to determine a diagnosis or treatment. Currently I am taking a course to prepare for the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), which I plan to take toward the end of the summer.

 

I would not be where I am today without my experiences and teachers at Ware Public Schools. Mrs. Orszulak sparked my interest in biology throughout high school by taking her AP Biology and Anatomy classes. It was after dissecting cats that I realized that I wanted to learn more about the human body. It was after taking AP Biology that I became fascinated with the complexity of how we function and how we are able to become the species we are. It is because of Student Government, Student Council and NHS that I developed my leadership skills and understood the value of community service. And, with the support of my mentor, Mr. Orszulak, I learned how to delegate responsibilities and overcome unforeseen events. Through participation in varsity sports and due to my coaches, I learned to work hard, both individually and as a team, teaching me collaboration and instilling my competitive drive. WPS, along with my wonderful parents, of course, shaped me into the person I am today. Because of my experiences, I was able to build off of my skills I acquired to develop and “blossom” into the person I am now. In my 2014 graduation speech, I ended with an analogy of my classmates and I as developing caterpillars undergoing metamorphosis; how we would soon test our newly grown wings to fly.

 

I, because of WJSHS, have flown, and will continue to fly into my next journey of life. Life after high school can seem scary. What will you do? Where will you go? How can you cook on your own? Believe me, I’m scared, too. Next year I will graduate from UNC and have to officially be an “adult”. What scare us is the unknowns of life; however don’t be scared. I am a full proponent that everything happens for a reason. Life has its ups and downs. But it is because of our experiences in life that shape us and make us stronger. Keep going. Apply to that reach school. Never say never. Most importantly, know that you too will have the opportunity to succeed after life at WJSHS.

 

With that, thank you to everyone who helped guide and teach me along the way. I will forever be grateful.