Madi Williams

Madi participated in many activities in high school and through these activities she learned about her passion for leadership, learning, and advocacy. She sought out leadership positions as an officer for her school’s marching band, Math Science Technology Magnet program, Link Crew freshman mentorship program, National Honor Society, and in the district wide Student Advisory Council. Within that Student Advisory Council, Madi was able to harness a new passion for advocacy on behalf of students within the district who had yet to feel like they belonged. She was a founding member who with her peers designed equity lessons that were age appropriate for elementary schoolers. They were invited to teach these lessons in the five elementary schools within their district to help promote inclusion and understanding in students from a young age. These lessons were adopted by the Camas School Board and will continue to be taught each year as part of the school district’s curriculum. 

Madi also trained and competed in gymnastics for 13 years through the National Developmental Program competing level nine as well winning the All-Around 4A Washington State title and medaling in all four individual events. As she “grew up” in the gym, it became her role to lead and connect with younger athletes, as well as mentor them through difficult times in the sport.  From these experiences, her love of mentorship and leadership grew. She will continue her love of sport as a member of the Santa Clara rowing team and she hopes to continue her leadership through opportunities within the athletic department, including the Bronco+ program.

Within the academic world, Madi quickly discovered a passion for STEM related fields. She pursued this by applying to be one of 30 students in her high school selected for the Math, Science, Technology Magnet program. Through this program, Madi was able to take advanced classes within those fields as well as conduct three year-long research projects within the field of Biology. These included projects that placed in the state competition as well as a summer internship in the Anatomic Pathology Lab of a local hospital.  She took a deep dive into hospital policy in order to help answer questions from hospital staff about the most efficient path for patient care. She was named a National Merit Finalist and AP Scholar her senior year.

Madi is now thrilled to be a part of the Johnson’s program at SCU and hopes to continue to pursue her passions in education while also being a leader and mentor on campus through organizations like the honors program and volunteering. She also hopes to continue her work in advocating for equity and inclusion amongst all students across organizations on campus by using the Johnson’s program to provide a resource for that inclusion. Finally, Madi is excited to continue her work in patient care with the research funding provided by the program.