Before she could celebrate, Madison had to navigate the rollercoaster of her senior year that included a family medical emergency. She says the key to her success, beyond her excellent GPA and her strong work ethic, was the support of her parents, friends and community.
“It was like having a group of aunts and uncles cheering me on as I continued to accomplish goals,” Madison said.
‘Digital Warfare Board’
Growing up in a military family, Madison moved and changed schools on seven different occasions. She was born in New York and the family has since lived in New Jersey, Virginia and Colorado, before landing in Georgia to finish eighth grade at Midway Middle School.
Madison’s parents, Melissa Langley and Army Sgt. 1st Class, Delando Langley, said she made sure to expose her daughter to the idea of higher education from an early age.
“From the moment I had Madison, I knew I didn’t want my story to be hers,” Melissa said. “I didn’t graduate from college, not because I didn’t have the skills to do so, but because I didn’t have the means to do so and, at such a young age, I didn’t know how to navigate that situation. .”
Not just the family tour college campuses together since Madison was in high school, but the young scholar already has six college credits to her name from a month-long program at the University of Alabama.
“Even though I finished college, it took me 20 years to pay off my student loans,” Delando added. “I didn’t want her to have that burden, so scholarships, especially merit-based ones, were always part of our game plan.”
Credit: Stephen B. Morton for The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Credit: Stephen B. Morton for The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Madison graduated with a 3.8 GPA. She was also a varsity cheerleader, head basketball director, yearbook staff editor-in-chief and vice president of her promotion.
She and her parents approached college applications with a well-thought-out strategy.
“When we started, we were looking at about 30 different schools, and within that group, probably half of them Madison was really seriously focusing on,” Melissa said. “We classify schools by size: small, medium and large. “Then we categorized them by scope: the schools we knew he could get into versus the more selective schools.”
In addition to those top 30 colleges, Madison and her mother used resources like Niche, Georgia Match, and the Common Black College Application to apply to dozens of colleges at once.
The family kept track of everything with their “digital war board,” an incredibly organized Excel sheet that everyone could access and update at any time.
Family separation
Madison’s first college acceptance came in early August from Northern Arizona University.
Two weeks later, her mother Melissa underwent a kidney transplant, leaving Madison home alone to begin her senior year of high school.
“Due to complications, I had to stay in the hospital for a month,” Melissa recalled. “My husband was by my side, but Madison was home alone and she was very stressful. I wrote letters for her to read on prom night and prom night, because I didn’t think she would be here.”
However, Madison says she never really felt alone.
“It was definitely stressful, but some nights I stayed with friends,” Madison said. “Our principal at Liberty High, that’s my rock! She would call me to check on her or ask me to text her pictures of my dinner that night. “She made sure I was okay.”
“I’ve known Madison since high school,” said Principal Debra Frazier, who has been an educator for 39 years and is a proud product of Liberty County Schools. “Madison, being the happy and mature person that she is, she didn’t show her true emotions, but at that age she knew it had to be difficult.”
Madison called her mother twice a day to inform her of the college acceptances that were now coming in quickly. When her mother came home in late September, she had already been accepted to more than 50 colleges, and Madison wondered if they were being pranked.
In December, Madison’s father, who is normally stationed at nearby Fort Stewart, was sent to Poland., causing another premature separation from the family.
“It was hard to miss some of those milestones he was reaching,” Delando said. “I missed Christmas, but I promised her I’d be home for prom and graduation, and I was.”
Decision time
By February, Madison had received 130 acceptance letters and $5 million in scholarships. That’s when regional journalists began to take notice. Since then, Madison has appeared on Good Morning America, KeynoteUSA, KeynoteUSA, and many other news outlets.
“You should see the way her teammates support her,” Frazier said. “By now you would have thought they would have said, ‘Enough with Madison’s story,’ but they celebrate her every chance they get.”
During the spring, Madison went to prom, took her final exams, and prepared to graduate alongside her classmates, with both parents there to cheer her on. When she took the stage in May, she had been accepted to 231 colleges and received $14.8 million in scholarships.
“I’m so glad God saved my life so I could be here and witness it,” Melissa said. “It’s not about the schools or the money. It’s simply about how he will be able to love what he does. She will be able to live her purpose.”
Credit: Stephen B. Morton for The Atlanta Journal Constitution
Credit: Stephen B. Morton for The Atlanta Journal Constitution
On May 1, known as College Decision Day, Madison announced that she will attend High Point University in North Carolina to pursue a degree in exercise science. It is a field that combines her interest in medicine with her love of sports and her penchant for helping others.
The young academic initially had her heart set on attending the University of Alabama, which had also accepted her. But she says High Point won her over because of its incredible dormitories, safe campus and personalized welcome.
Madison has given three commencement speeches at other local schools, and her parents have hosted college preparation workshops with students and their families. Through a partnership with Melissa’s employer, the family was able to pay off all negative school lunch balances at two different schools.
“We’re not professionals,” Melissa said. “We are just two parents who were intentional. It’s not about scholarships; I can give you all the websites in the world, but it’s about being intentional with your kids and setting them up for success from the beginning.”
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