Madalyn, a high school sophomore, has done a lot of amazing things! One Christmas, Santa gave her a LEGO® Mindstorm robot. That catapulted her into the world of robotics. She started in FIRST® Lego League in 6th grade and moved to FIRST Tech Challenge in 7th grade where she was the Mechanical Lead on building a robot that weighed 40 pounds. She joined FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team Spyder 1622 as an eager 8th grader. Recently, she became the Vice President of Robots where she will be in charge of building a robot that weighs 120 pounds for a competition. In Team Spyder’s 16-year history, a female is finally at the helm!
Because of her connection with SWE professionals, Madalyn interned at TÜV SÜD last summer. There, she did cool tests in a laboratory.
Madalyn found her passion for engineering at a young age. She loves to “pay it forward” by giving STEM opportunities to others. Her greatest accomplishment is starting a FIRST Robotics program in a low socioeconomic school. In its second season, the program has tripled in size and now has girl leaders.
She founded PHS SWENext Club at her high school to give support and STEM opportunities to girls on campus. As President, Madalyn traveled to St. Louis to compete in the SWENext DesignLab Community Engagement challenge. There, she won a $1000 grant for her club to organize the FIRST Annual Girl in STEM Inspiration Day. Her club won the Grand Prize for the Community Engagement Challenge in 2019.
Madalyn spoke at WE19’s Invent It. Build It. luncheon and was a keynote speaker for WE Local San Diego Power Hour. She even hosted webinar events about how engineering can save and improve lives.
A Gold Award Girl Scout, Madalyn shares her success and helps others achieve their own goals. She won the Girl Living STEM Award and got to donate a $700 robotics kit to a school of her choice. She won the SWENext STEM in Action Award and the SWENext Community Award. She is also a 3-time recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Last month, out of 3,400 nominees worldwide, Madalyn was one of 10 winners selected for the FRC FIRST Dean’s List Award. Her list of accomplishments is growing, and she is still in high school!
Madalyn’s hard work and passion got her to where she is today. She is living proof that STEM is not only cool, but it is also rewarding! Madalyn is an inspiration to us all. Learn more about Madalyn and her accomplishments!
Like Madalyn, if you find something you are excited about and you work hard, you can accomplish just about anything you set your mind to!
