The person I am today, and the person I want to be is constantly changing, and half the time I feel like I truly never really know what I am doing in my life. I am 22 though, I have so much more in life, and life is only beginning, but I feel like my life has already begun.
I grew up in a Laramie, Wyoming, and by grew up, I mean I spent the first 10 years of my life there, and those were the best years of my life, and the only portion I choose to reminisce. My family was all together there. My mom, dad, and little sister, lived in this small house in the middle of a neighborhood made up of mobile homes and people who had been retired for 20+ years. My sister, Mackenzie, and I grew up spoiled there. We were able to run around and not fear our neighbors, and visit our God Parents who had horses on a farm. We would climb over the fence and sneak into our neighbors house through their dog doors because they always had the best treats for us. Life was so simple there. My dad was a K-9 Handler for one of the local police departments, and every year, he would bring his dog into class. Both of them were dressed in their uniforms, my dads patrol car cleaned out so all of my friends could climb through the kennel in the car, and I would get to brag about how I “got to bring my dog to school” that day. I loved my life there and I wish that I could go back every day.
We then moved to Olympia, Washington. I did not mind it there when I first got there, but I was also young and had no idea what was about to happen. I would be a fool to say that I did not have opportunities there that I would have never had living in Wyoming, but I would also be a fool to tell you that some of the most devastating and eye opening things did not happened to me there.
While I lived in Washington, I learned that I loved making music. I fell in love with playing the viola, and played from 4th grade up until I graduated high school. I was involved with the Olympia Police Explorers Program, and put in over 350 volunteer hours each year. I would do ride alongs with my dad, direct traffic for marathons or fairs that happened in town, met the governor a few times, and did overnight security for fairs. This was when I realized what I wanted to do with my life, and just needed to figure out how I was going to get there. When I was 12 years old, I got involved with a local rifle team, and those teammates and coaches were my family, and I will forever be grateful for them. I traveled all over the state and the country with this team. I won state championships, and competed in the Junior Olympics a few times. My opportunities were endless, and I felt that I was constantly on top of the world.
While I had these opportunities, I also was forced to grow up too fast, and miss out on some life experiences. My parents divorced when I was a freshman in high school, and I spent more time baby sitting my sister than I spent with friends because both of my parents worked nigh shifts. I lost friendships because of my dads career, and at times would not be aloud to stay at my dads house because he would get death threats at work and was told that people were out to kill his family. I helped clean up a bathroom after my best friends mom took her own life. My closest cousin was in and out of jail, and in and out of rehab for years due to drugs. So many other things happened there, and I just feel like I will never be able to have a positive view of that state. I watched what felt like my whole life falling apart, and all I could do was keep moving on, and deal with challenges I felt like I should not have had to deal with at 15 years old.
Despite living in Washington and feeling like I was constantly overwhelmed with bad things happening around me, I made it out. I pushed through and left when I was 19 years old to move here to Fairbanks! I love my life hear and finally have clarity. If I was asked when I lived in Washington if I liked living there, I would say absolutely not, but would not be able to see some of the positive things in life from there. Getting out was the hardest, but most rewarding thing I have ever done. Because I left, I am now able to recognize what I had achieved there, and the life skills I was able to take away from living there.
Fairbanks is the perfect combination of Laramies’ simplicity and Olympias’ opportunities. Moving up here, I continued working with Starbucks, and after 5 years with this company, I am a Store Manager! I continued competing until my freshman year here at UAF when I chose to focus on my school, my job, and my life. I have made so many friends here, and some of them have had more of an impact in the past 2 years than my friends I had for 10 years. Since being here I have rekindled my relationships with my parents and sister after I gave myself space to just be myself.
I still do not know what I want to do with my life, but I know that my passion and my calling is to help people. I have chosen to follow in my dads foot steps and know that I want to go into Law Enforcement, but I have no idea yet what my end goal is. There is nothing I wish to change about the life I have had, because I know that without all of those experiences, the good and the bad, I would not be in the place or head space that I am in today.
Danni Reuter
I love Wyoming, I would go there every summer for many years when I was a child. My mom grew up in Worland, Wyoming and my grandparents lived there until they passed. Your story about having to watch your younger sibling was insightful as I have recently had to rely on my teenage son to help out with his younger siblings as I work at night. Thank you for sharing your story.
Sharla Huckabey
First, Madison, I must admit your story brought tears to my eyes. I can’t comprehend what your heart, mind, and soul have felt experiencing the things you did at a young age.
It made me smile when I read that you have rebuilt your relationship with your parents and your sister. I think family is so important.
Thank you for your transparency, and I like how you worded it: all of what you have been through has made you who you are today.
I wish you the very best in your future. I am sure you will do great in law enforcement.
Hailey Moyle
Hi, Madisen! Thank you for sharing your story. I feel like this is the most vulnerable introduction I’ve had to do for a class. For only being 22 you sure have made it through a lot and you should be so proud of how far you have come. Just from your first post, I can tell that you are a strong, determined, and self-aware individual. You will be someone that makes Law Enforcement a Even as a 26-year-old, I still encounter situations where I need a “real adult” because this couldn’t possibly be something I am supposed to deal with.
My grandma calls Alaska, “the land of the misfit toys.” I think that is it very fitting description of the people I have grown to know. As a transplant myself, I have met some of the nicest people and my dearest of friends. It’s a good place to run away too and become yourself. I think Alaska does a good job at fostering a very inclusive environment without even meaning too, by allowing people the freedom to live as they choose and letting other people do the same.
Have a wonderful semester!
Jackson Foster
I am sorry you had to go through all of that negative nonsense in Washington like I know what’s it like to live in a place like hell but its good that you were able to leave Washington and move to Alaska and make a lot of good friends and have so much positive around you.