Madison Morgan has had a productive high school career and has a bright future ahead. She has spent a lot of her time with the Technology Club and the Gay Straight Alliance Club, as well as emphasized engineering during her schooling.
Morgan is a Valedictorian for this year’s class of graduating seniors. “For me, the most important accomplishment is all the stuff I’ve learned,” said Morgan.
As a Junior in high school, Morgan took a Sophomore level class with Dr. Terri Varnado. After excelling in that class, she was able to take both Robotics and Engineering class at the same time, which is two years of classes at once.
“She just picked up on everything that we did so quickly; she paid attention and her details were just incredible,” said Varnado. Because of Morgan’s schedule, Varndo has her as a student for third and fourth block every day.
Next year, Morgan will be attending Iowa State University, pursuing a degree in Aerospace Engineering. The decision to attend ISU was pretty random and stemmed from a search on College Board. She found that ISU has a great Aerospace Engineering program, and the communication between Morgan and the school convinced Morgan to go.
“Aerospace engineering is a field that can combine all of my passions. I can do math, engineering [but it’s still] kind of social.” Morgan wants to make sure that minorities are represented and included in engineering, a field that doesn’t always prioritize diversity.
“Aerospace engineering is a way for me to honestly force myself to do something I find meaningful,” said Morgan. While she considered different types of engineering, ultimately aerospace was the one she felt called to.
After getting a bachelor’s degree at ISU, Morgan wants to get an internship somewhere and then work on her masters degree. After getting more experience, she hopes to apply at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Ultimately, working at NASA is the end goal.
Morgan is grateful for the schooling she has been able to receive at LHS. “I didn’t expect to find so much cool stuff in Idaho, but there have been great opportunities with education and meeting people with similar interests.”
She is also thankful for the people she has met while learning, whether it’s peers or teachers. “Look at everyone as future friends. Just because you don’t know them doesn’t mean you couldn’t know them in the future.”
Varnado noted how Morgan was always willing to stay after school or ask questions to make sure she always understood the content. “Don’t be afraid to ask teachers for help because they really do want to help, and if you’re just sitting there not saying anything they can’t help you,” said Morgan. The extra work Morgan put into understanding the material helped her succeed in her classes.
“I have no doubt that Madi will accomplish whatever she sets out to do,” said Varnado. “I hope that she is able to realize her dream to be an aerospace engineer, and I really don’t think she is going to have any problems doing that.”