Transferable skills
09/04/2024
Student Senate president Madi Sheppard hopes for Bluffton to become a lively campus environment and a community of peace.
Using Skills to Support and Care for Others
Madi Sheppard ’25, a social work major and president of Student Senate from Newark, Ohio, spent her summer working at a YMCA camp where she discovered her calling of helping and caring for others.
Over the summer Sheppard led activities, worked with underprivileged kids, and specifically found interest in working with children in foster care and becoming part of their support system.
“This experience really helped me decide what I wanted to do in my career,” said Sheppard. “When kids started asking me to come to their sports games and giving me schedules, I could tell my support was making a difference in their lives.”
Sheppard credited her experience as Student Senate president with helping her adjust rapidly to working at the summer camp. As senate president, Sheppard takes advantage of different opportunities to support those around her.
By being active on campus, Sheppard found student organizations and campus events pushed her to grow in different situations.
“I joined Student Senate to use the opportunities to grow whatever skills it could teach me,” said Sheppard. “Student Senate also allows me to put myself in positions to be comfortable being uncomfortable.”
Communication skills are one skill Sheppard has seen herself developing, allowing her to communicate more with those outside of her community.
There are multiple goals Sheppard has set for herself and for the campus as Student Senate president. Sheppard said she wants to create a campus environment that is more lively, while also living in a community of peace.
“The world outside of Bluffton is kind of crazy,” said Sheppard. “Being able to understand that we can have differences and be from different areas and still be able to coexist and live together can create a better, beautiful world.”
