Senior Spotlight: Madison Chen

Senior year at Cornerstone is always bittersweet as we celebrate our seniors, delighted in their success but saddened at losing members of our Cornerstone family. This year's class has several students who have been part of the CCS family for many years. Madison Chen has been a CCS student for all her school years - beginning in Preschool! 

We love to see our students engage in the courses and programs that CCS offers. It is extra special to see students look beyond the classroom and take advantage of additional learning opportunities to enrich their high school experience. Madison has definitely taken this challenge to heart, and we are proud of her diligent work.  

One opportunity available to high school students is to participate in a college-sponsored summer experience. For example, this past summer Madison attended a one-week Pre-Med Anatomy & Physiology Class at UCONN. She was able to peek into college-life and engage in a challenging course. 

“UCONN’s Pre-med Anatomy and Physiology class was a very hands on and rigorous program that i would recommend to anyone who is interested in the health field and is not afraid to get their hands a little dirty.” - Madison 

Madison is no stranger to getting her hands a little dirty! She is a longtime participant in a local 4H goat program. 

This past summer, Madison was the Vice President for the Hartford County 4H Fair and led in many aspects there. She was in charge of the vendors, showed goats at the fair (earning 5th Place in Showmanship), and entered many submissions to both the exhibition center and sundry competitions. Her entries included sewing, photography, crafts, and even plants! She shows that she is not only hardworking and patient but equipped with various skills that allow her to excel anywhere. Her entry for the sewing competition later earned her the title of Reserve Champion. Madison is exceptional with detailed work that requires patience, creativity, and a keen eye. With ingenuity and an inventive mind, she offers her best efforts both in the classroom and outside of it!

Later, she sat down for an interview and was nominated as Fair Ambassador. Despite quite the collection of achievements, Madison remained humble and continued to elevate others instead. When asked about the content of the interview, not once did she seek to aggrandize herself, but instead was expeditious to point out the good aspects of others’ presentations. She seeks to nurture the growing skills of others, too, viewing the development of skill more as something that can be shared with many people instead of possessively clutched for only oneself to take pride in. While she strives for excellence, it is clear that she perceives success and greatness to be an ideal that many can reach, as opposed to something kept for an entitled few.

When asked about what the experience has taught her, Madison said, “4H has taught me a lot about leadership, and has pushed me to grow in my abilities, as well as mentor other children in 4H.” Through opportunities such as this, Madison’s astuteness, adaptability, and willingness to serve really shines. Through her unique and ever-growing repertoire of abilities, it is certain that she will continue to lead and encourage wherever she goes. She is such a blessing to the senior class!

Written in collaboration with Addison Breton, Grade 12