Kate Madsen, U'25
Start an Endowed Scholarship
What do you love most about being a student at Saint Mary?
My favorite thing about Saint Mary is that you are inspired to challenge every aspect of yourself that is important to you. You aren鈥檛 limited to only being a good student, forced to only develop into a competitive athlete, or to neglect your spiritual discipline in order to excel at either of those things. Saint Mary enables and encourages you to strive for excellence in all these aspects of your life.
What are you studying, and what drew you to that field?
I am a biology and English double major, and I am on a pre-medical track. I think I would attribute my interest to these fields to my parents. My mom is a nurse at the local hospital in my hometown. Growing up, I always had people approaching me and telling me how my mom took such good care of them in the clinic, or how my mom was there when they gave birth to their kid, etc. Seeing the impact that she had on my community inspired me to one day do the same. As far as my interest in English, I see biology as the explanation for the 鈥渉ow,鈥� of life, and literature as the explanation for the 鈥渨hy,鈥� of life. To truly be a good doctor (and a good person) you have to have a deep understanding of both.
What has been your favorite class or professor so far, and why?
I have taken a lot of amazing classes at Saint Mary, but my favorite has been Cell Biology. The professor was amazing (shout out to Dr. Radosevich!) and a lot of the things that we learned in that class I have applied to all of my other biology classes. My favorite moment, though, was one lab that we had where we took a gene from a jellyfish and put it into bacteria that allowed them to glow under UV light. I will never forget the mind-blowing moment when I saw the bacteria glow, cementing what we had learned from a textbook into real-life science.
How have you gotten involved on campus (clubs, sports, organizations)?
I have tried to get involved with a wide variety of campus activities. I am a member of the cross country and track teams, which has been a life-changing experience that has brought me some of my best memories, life lessons, and closest friendships. I wouldn鈥檛 change it for the world. I am also an active member of campus ministry, on the Honors Leadership Council, and a member of English Club.
What is a memorable experience you've had during your time at Saint Mary?
We hosted the KCAC Conference meet here at Saint Mary this year, and it was so special for so many reasons. It鈥檚 my senior year, and it鈥檚 really a full circle moment to have one of my last races be on the course I鈥檝e put so many miles on throughout the years. To put the cherry on top, my team and I earned the first perfect score in KCAC women鈥檚 history. Crossing the finish line in step with my teammates, making history as so many of my friends and family cheered us on will be a memory I will always cherish.
How has Saint Mary helped you grow personally and academically?
There are so many great opportunities here at USM, but the most impactful part by far has been the people I've met. Every day, I鈥檓 surrounded by a team full of friends who make me laugh and help me to not take life so seriously. My coaches have been some of the most impactful mentors of my life. They are invested in pushing us to be not only the best runners we can be, but the best people we can be. My professors work hard to develop relevant, thorough curriculum and routinely put in extra hours to make sure that we are confident in our ability to succeed. The people I鈥檝e met in my sports, classes, and community have made the experience here some of the best of my life.
What are your goals after graduation, and how are you preparing for them?
I have always wanted to be a doctor, and it鈥檚 amazing to finally see this dream start to become a reality. In July, I will be attending the University of Kansas School of Medicine. During my sophomore year of college, I applied and was accepted into an assured admission program called the Scholars in Rural Health. This program focuses on preparing students from rural areas in Kansas for entry into medicine. We are required to spend 40 hours a semester shadowing a physician in our hometown (for a grand total of 200 contact hours before we get to medical school). Other general requirements include a minimum MCAT score 鈥� which I earned in August thanks to help from the wonderful people in the KLC 鈥� and maintaining a good GPA.
Do you have any tips or advice for incoming freshmen?
My advice is simple: You get out of it what you put into it. I had a professor give us an analogy recently; the idea is that you are a bucket, and each activity you participate in is a drop of water. Each class you attend, each reading you choose to do to be prepared for class, each practice you go to and give your all, each evening you spend in the library, each friendship you forge 鈥� all of these things fill your bucket. At the end of your four years, you can have a bucket that is only a little full or you can have a bucket that is overflowing, but that decision is up to you.
What is your favorite campus tradition or event?
One of my favorite campus traditions is Matriculation. There鈥檚 something really special about entering a new community (that鈥檚 exciting but also scary as a first-year student!) and hearing every individual person鈥檚 name called. The idea that we are all unique but united in this journey throughout our years at USM is one that has stuck with me since.
How do you balance your academic responsibilities with your social life and extracurricular activities?
I have always been a really busy person. While I wish I could say that I have mastered time management, the truth is that it鈥檚 a continual struggle as my commitments, priorities, and life change. I am a huge list person, and that really helps me to be clear about what my commitments are and in what order they need to be completed. I have to remind myself that I can鈥檛 fulfill all my commitments perfectly at the same time, so I have to take turns with what I prioritize.