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They were down by one run and down to the last batter. Mckenzie Madsen stood at the plate with a 0-2 count, one strike away from losing the game.
From the dugout, Alivia Madsen couldn’t have been more nervous for her younger sister. The final pitch was a low ball, and Mckenzie swung. The softball soared over their heads beyond the fence, scoring the game-winning run.
Joy and relief flooded Alivia’s body as she ran to home plate jumping up and down, patting her sister on the back and shaking her helmet. She couldn’t wait to brag about how her sister was the hero.
“It’s really fun to be on the same court together, be on the same feld,” Alivia said. “You feel an extra connection with them when they do good, you’re even more happy than you are with a normal teammate, and when they do something bad, you feel for them even more. It’s been an overall positive experience where we’ve gotten closer just from getting to spend time together.”
Alivia’s ability to bond with others goes beyond her relationship with her sister. She’s bonded with many students as the SBO vice president.
“I would say she’s made a big difference in the way that she shows what a true Hawk should be,” said Austin Ison, student government advisor. “She just is dedicated to being here and supporting everyone and being involved and making sure that the high school is a good experience for other people as well as herself.”
Being a student body officer all four years of her high school career, her growth of confidence and leadership skills have made a noticeable difference to her family and friends.
“She’s just grown a ton as an SBO. She’s very organized. She always makes sure that things get done,” Ison said. “She’s just made a lot of improvement as far as her leadership skills. I think she’s set a good tone for our student government all four years, especially this year because she’s worked so hard to not only do good in the activities she’s involved in but she makes a really focused effort to be at every event she can.”
Growing up through sports, and having a very sport-oriented family, Alivia has learned many helpful lessons. Her biggest takeaway is to keep going when it gets hard.
“When you’re not the main player, sometimes your role is to be an important cheerleader or the second man in, that’s really important too,” Alivia said. “Learning to be that person to help your team no matter what, even when it’s not what you want. I think that’s been a really important lesson for me.”
Alivia enjoys the behind-the-scenes work. So for her, being an SBO doesn’t stop once she gets home. Many areas are in need of acknowledgement and coverage, so Alivia is often finishing morning announcements, plans and preparations outside of school hours.
“You’re thinking about the school all the time,” Alivia said. “The hardest part is just trying to focus on so many things at once. I feel like I’m missing people all the time when I’m trying to include everyone. I’m always missing somebody in the process, and so that’s the hardest part knowing that you’re not doing 100% even though you’re trying to get 100% percent all the time.
Alivia’s unique view of leadership involves service to others and lifting them up.
“I don’t think a leader should be someone who’s willing to put themselves on a pedestal really, more able to put themselves below people to lift them up,” Alivia said. “There’s a lot of things that people need help with, and just being able to notice what people need and to be able to help them up and to keep them going, as well as yourself, is really important for a leader to know.”
