Freshman Catherine Madison is entering a busy semester coming from an even busier summer.
Over the summer, she worked three jobs in Wichita: the first as a lifeguard at Acrobatics Academy, the second as a gymnastics coach at Acrobatics Academy, the third as an assistant at Wellspring Animal Hospital. She expressed how much she enjoyed each individual job, saying that she enjoys instructing the kids at Acrobatics Academy and walking the dogs or taking care of the cats at the hospital.
Though her summer was filled with work, she is excited to continue managing a busy schedule in her transition to college life. Newman University, she thought, would be a good fit for her.
“I chose Newman because of small classes and the fact that the professors care about each student. I also received great academic and cheer scholarships at Newman, which helped in my decision. I am majoring in elementary education and minoring in theater.”
In addition to her studies, Madison will be active in extracurriculars this year.
“I will be cheering this year and I also decided to be part of the Asian Student Association (ASA). I decided to join ASA because I am half-Chinese and I wanted to make more Asian-American friends.”
Madison is very passionate about any activity she pursues, she said. When asked which of her summer jobs was her favorite, for instance, she replied, “It would be very hard to choose one job over the other — all of my jobs are very rewarding.”
While this intense schedule may be overwhelming for many, Madison has a strong scheduling philosophy, one she has had from a young age.
“I was homeschooled my whole life so I have had to make my own schedule since middle school. Whenever I plan out my schedule for the week I make sure to get all my homework done before I make plans with friends. I am also blessed with jobs that are constantly the same schedule from week to week so I am able to take those hours into account as well.”
When she finishes at Newman, Madison hopes to take up teaching or coaching, hopefully in elementary school, drama class or cheer.
