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“A very capable and intelligent student.”
“Very insightful and mature.”
“An enthusiastic, bright, creative young woman who is willing to take academic risks in order to push herself to grow as a student.”
Those words of praise are just some of the verbal applause for Madeline “Maddie” Dummitt, this year’s PSI scholarship grand-prize winner. Her references also described her with adjectives like kind, positive, bright, and energetic, with a friendly demeanor. No wonder she rose above the other 14 PSI scholarship winners this year to earn the top scholarship award of $5,000.
Maddie, a recent graduate of Stratford Academy in Macon, Ga., finished her high school career with a long list of impressive credentials. Academically, she took numerous AP classes and graduated with a 4.14 weighted GPA. Athletically, she played on the school’s varsity track and field team, varsity shooting team, and varsity lacrosse team, including serving as captain of those teams her senior year. Her extracurricular activities included serving on the Key Club, Pep Club, Ecology Club, Investment Club, and Beta Club as well as being a Peer Mentor.
And her distinctions extend beyond school to include community service and her work as a lifeguard every summer throughout high school.
No surprise, then, that Maddie views herself as a leader and problem-solver—skills she plans to put to use when she heads to Clemson University this fall to begin her college studies.
PSI caught up with Maddie recently in one of her rare quiet moments to talk about her distinguished path so far—and her even more exciting future.
How do you feel about being chosen as the PSI scholarship grand-prize winner? I feel an immense amount of pride and gratitude for being selected as the 2023 PSI scholarship winner. I am sure there was a highly qualified application pool, so I am truly excited to receive this honor.
How will the PSI scholarship help with your ongoing education? The PSI scholarship will help fund my ongoing education and lighten the financial burdens of my higher education.
What was your most challenging class in high school? Why? AP Literature was my most challenging high school class. While it was a class about significant literary works, we were constantly challenged to consider and articulate the significance and implications of them. It was a class unlike any other. It combined the ideas on language, philosophy, and sociology in a way that took a much deeper dive than I had ever considered. We explored our perceptions and prejudices in a way that was very thought-provoking and meaningful to me.
What have been your proudest achievements so far? My proudest achievement so far has been being named my school’s scholar athlete. I am proud of being recognized for my hard work and dedication both in the classroom and in my extracurriculars.
What do you think are your greatest strengths? I would say my greatest strengths are my grounded and outgoing personality and my intuition. These qualities make me a very logistical person and help me to become a very good problem-solver and leader.
What are you passionate about? Serving the community is something I am really passionate about. My mother and I have spent over 400 hours serving together to help the people around us. As I witness the impact of my service on others, the act of serving others is also rewarding to me as it brings me joy and opens my eyes to the needs of others and the privilege I have.
Tell us something about you that would surprise people. I was a competitive water skier for 10 years.
What do you like to do in your free time? In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family and staying active, whether that be at the gym or out in nature.
How do you feel about finishing high school and preparing to enter college? I am super-excited and a little nervous to embark on this new journey. While there is a lot of uncertainty in the future, I am confident in how I have prepared and the support I have in my family, friends, and community.
Why did you decide to attend Clemson? I chose Clemson because the school really felt like home. It is a great school academically but also provides me with an atmosphere of community, pride, and authenticity.
What will be your major—and what are your career aspirations related to that major? At Clemson, I will be studying Biological Sciences on a pre-med track. With that degree, I plan to attend medical school with the aspirations of becoming an Emergency Physician.
What do you plan to do with the rest of your summer? For the rest of the summer, I plan on spending time with my family and friends and enjoying the final memories before college.
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