When Madison Partridge walked into our office for her job interview, we knew right away we were meeting a young person who was going places. Before the interview even started, she jumped into a conversation and shared her option with us. She was both thoughtful and emphatic, willing to listen and not afraid to share her thoughts with us. Add in the fact that she took the initiative to fly out here (on a day’s notice) from Nebraska, she had a strong connection to the area and she brings youthful energy to the role of Administrative Associate… we couldn’t wait for her to start. Read on to learn more about Maddy Partridge!
Madison is from Wahoo, Nebraska, a small town where everyone knew everyone, which helped create connection for Maddy. Even though she is pretty firmly entrenched in life in Eagle County, her family means the world to her. They don’t have to do grand gestures, they share consistent kind, loving moments. The entire family is uber athletic (dad was a college track athlete, mom an excellent volleyball player, sister Shelby an all state pitcher, brother Brock a college football player, little brother Luke a state football champion, and Maddy a D1 college athlete, competing in discus, hammer and weight). They take that athleticism and channel into board games.
“Even though we are competitive we are a very supportive and caring bunch. We can’t leave each other without giving a bunch of hugs and telling each other how much we love one another."
Beyond board games, Maddy doesn’t sit around much. When she’s not hanging out with family and friends, she is creating, embroidering, painting, listening to music and traveling. She has already been to 15 countries with plans to visit many more. Before she leaves the US again, though, she’s excited to explore the area—hiking is her favorite outdoor activity.
Hiking and traveling are just a couple of ways that Maddy gets out of her comfort zone, something she implores everyone to do. “You learn the most about yourself when you do something that makes you are unsure of,” she says with her trademark smile. This leads into Maddy talking about how to encourage other young people to figure out “what they want to do with their lives,” something people double and triple her age struggle with.
“My advice is to do as much shadowing of community members as you can. Ask as many questions as you can. Someone else has advice and experience that you don’t and you can learn from them. The more shadowing you do, the more you are going to find where you will spark and where you can see yourself having success in the future. Helping you to worry less about your future and give you a path to follow,” she says.
She wasn’t afraid to find her path: she went to the University of Nebraska Omaha, where she changed her major a few times, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Multiple Disciplinarians, a minor in Psychology and areas of emphasis in sign language, special education and business administration.
Maddy’s final words for all of us? “Be true to yourself! One of the most hard things to figure out is who you are, but it will be the best thing you can do for yourself. If you are struggling to figure it out talk to your friends, talk to your family, find resources on the internet. You are not alone in your struggle and there is always a shoulder that is ready for you to lean on.”