“I learned that when you serve you get so much more out of serving others, from experience to memories, to knowledge, to learning about yourself,” says Madison Vise, a year-round athlete and rising senior at Ursuline Academy.
Vise is proud of being a member of the Beyond Our Borders: Violence Against Women Project. This group began working in the summer of 2015 and decided to raise awareness and serve female victims of domestic abuse. The members volunteered throughout the year, making door decorations for the Metropolitan Center for Women and Children, volunteering and sewing blankets for children at shelters.
Vise also went on a volunteer service immersion trip to Belize. She had to earn the opportunity to go on this immersion trip.
“I had to apply to be accepted, interviewed, meet throughout the year, go on retreats and fundraise,” she says. “But the best part was being there because it wasn’t just a service project and not just an immersion trip, but both combined.”
Being immersed with the culture, Vise was able to see that the same people that struggle financially are the very same ones with the strongest sense of community.
Jessica Baker, Vise’s biology teacher, is one of her inspirations to become a student activist. Baker accepted Vise into the Beyond Our Borders program and encouraged her to take her experiences from there and put them into action.
“Jessica Baker has greatly inspired me and challenged me to go outside of my comfort zone so others can experience a more comfortable life, says Vise.
Vise is also involved with cross-country, soccer and track and field. She is also a part of National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, Student Council, Peer Ministry and the 2016-’17 retreat team. Outside of school, Vise volunteers with the NO/AIDS Task Force throughout the year and is a lifeguard for the YMCA during the summer.
Vise is planning on applying to the Naval Academy, West Point and the U.S. Air Force Academy after she graduates high school. She loves the outdoors, including hiking, biking and kayaking. If she isn’t serving her country, Vise wishes to become a teacher or have a profession in environmental or wildlife conservation. No matter what she’s doing, she hopes to raise awareness about domestic violence and environmental issues.
