By Bryan LunnMay 21, 2024
Madison Crowell, Liberty County High School graduate and Fort Stewart student, made history in her college application and scholarship journey. After being accepted into 231 colleges and receiving 14.8 million dollars in scholarships, she has set records not only in the state of Georgia but throughout the entire United States.
This was no easy feat for Crowell, especially within the circumstances of being a military family member and having to continuously move in her academic career. She credits the support of not only her family but her peers and mentors getting her through these tough times.
“There are other military children here, military life counselors, and adults who were in the military or were also military children. So, you know, just having that kind of bond with people, knowing that they have been through the same thing that I'm going through, it kind of gives me a peace of mind with the military,” Crowell said.
She reflected on her time in high school and was especially proud of not only her accomplishments en route to college but what she was able to cultivate at Liberty County High.
“All the clubs and activities that I'm involved in and all the people that I've grown to know, it's been such an amazing environment to be a part of,” she said. “Being a part of the student government team, being the vice president of my class, we organized a lot of events that weren't happening a couple of years ago. So just to get our class involved is important for me.”
Crowell’s father, Sgt. 1st Class Delando Langley, the NCOIC in the 3rd Infantry Division Inspector General's office, recognized his daughter’s resiliency in this process, as each move provided different challenges, as well as the strong family bond they created.
“It's about a mentality first,” he said. “We had to get our mindset tailored for higher academia. We had a war board that we used when we started tracking all the universities and stuff. As a two parent household, she was able to get the nurture side of her mother and me being in the military, she was able to get the discipline and the resiliency.”
Debra Frazier, Principal of Liberty County High School, gave special praise to the leadership abilities that Madison possesses.
“If she can lend a hand, she's willing to lend a hand, and she's a giver,” Frazier said. “She will give up her time, energy, and talent.”
Crowell’s achievements didn’t happen by chance. Discipline and hard work were instilled in her as a small child. Her mother, Melissa Langley, says that her work ethic got her to this point, and now she is reaping the benefits.
“Her putting in the hard work and having the discipline to apply for the scholarships, apply to the schools, make sure she doesn't miss deadlines, and then also applying that to her life,” her mom said.. “As a student, as a scholar, just with her and her class work and her teachers, all of these things kind of work hand in hand that has allowed her to have the success that she's experiencing today.”
She also spoke on how important these accomplishments are, not only for Madison but how she is a beacon for others, especially in the military community.
“It's an amazing feeling, but most people think it's an amazing feeling just for the attention,” she said. “I think it's an amazing feeling just for the exposure of other young people, of military children, children from underserved areas and underserved communities to be able to see that someone who is in the same location or the same type of area as they are could achieve these goals so that it would inspire them to do it. So it's not so much about the attention that she gets, but more so about the inspiration that we can offer to others.”
Above all, Crowell wants everyone hearing about her story to know that at the end of the day, she remains the same kid she has always been.
“I don't want people to think just because I have achieved such greatness that I think that I'm better than anybody because that is completely false,” she said. “I just want everybody to know that you can do everything that I'm doing if you put your mind to it and that the sky's not the limit.”
Crowell plans to pursue a degree in exercise science at High Point University in the fall.
Fort Stewart student sets national record, earns 14.8 million in scholarships
Fort Stewart student sets national record, earns 14.8 million in scholarships
