Hi, my name is Maddie.
I graduated from Lake Forest College in May of 2020, with a degree in English, writing and a minor in Social Justice. I am passionate about working with people and making a difference through conversation and writing. I am fortunate to have had extensive experiences with working with others due to the creation of my family’s nonprofit known as i understand which works to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and suicide; I have also acquired various jobs such as being a mentor for middle school aged children and I currently work as a resident supervisor at an addiction recovery center. I am excited to begin pursuing a job in the mental health field as a clinical social worker once I am finished with graduate school. I am passionate about helping others and bringing awareness to those who suffer from mental health issues and suicide ideation.
My family, including myself, has played a pivotal role throughout the progression of my mom’s organization and as a result, I have become extremely familiar with the phrase coined by Hillary Clinton, “It takes a village.” I have volunteered at countless events and created a marketing campaign in 2017 to promote i understand’s merchandise. I have continued to create content and posts for i understand’s various social media platform and I have written multiple blogs that have been published on their website. I have loved serving different roles and fulfilling different tasks because it has provided me with a well rounded perception of how nonprofits, organizations, and businesses operate.
Throughout the development of i understand and the other nonprofit organization I have interned for, CROSO, I have obtained many different roles. Nonprofit work requires a lot of flexibility, along with strong communication and problem solving skills. I have been continuously challenged, but I feel extremely fortunate to have overcome those challenges and be able to implement newfound skills throughout my educational and professional career.
Throughout my college experience, I have been fortunate to acquire many different roles that have honed my leadership abilities. In 2018, I was President of my sorority, Alpha Phi at Lake Forest College. I was an active member in my sorority as soon as I joined when I was a freshmen and was elected to serve on the executive board as executive administrator. During that time, I also served as director of recruitment and the following year, I ran and was elected president. I loved being president because I was able to understand and be in involved in each department this included finance, marketing, educational programs, community relations, and so forth. I enjoyed being able to contribute to various conversations that directly affected different aspects of the organization. It felt immensely empowering to be able to cultivate an organization and a community, where people not only enjoyed being a part of, but were also proud to be a part of.
As I progress throughout my educational and professional career, it felt immensely important to me to continue to channel my thoughts and my ideas through my blog. Writing has cultivated my critical thinking skills, allowed me to hone my voice and has created an outlet for me to express myself and my passions. I love writing and I am so grateful for everything that it has given me, but I am excited to take my passions beyond it. I believe that my patience, interpersonal communication skills, and creativity when it comes to approaching various situations, will provide me with the right tools in order to succeed.
Woodrick Writes 