By Grace Sullivan, Online Editor-in-Chief
Fluent in three languages, taking 15 AP classes and serving as vice president of Model United Nations, senior Natalia Madison has challenged herself throughout high school. The academic challenges won’t stop after graduation day, though.
“I’m majoring in Russian and Peace, War and Defense, which is a global security program at UNC,” Madison said.
Madison has had a dream of pursuing a major like this for the past four years: “I went back and forth on the different logistics,” Madison said. “At some points I wanted to do Arabic as my major and Russian as my minor, but I always wanted to do something with global security.”
Double-majoring is intense for any student, but especially when you decide to major in a language you don’t know quite well. This difficult language was an easy pick for Madison, though.
“I’ve always loved Russia – the culture and everyone I’ve met from there has told me really fascinating things about the country,” Madison said. “I also love Eastern Europe and I want to specialize there. I would work possibly for the U.S. State Department in Russia or with an intelligence agency in Ukraine.”
As for the other half of the major, Peace, War and Defense, Madison chose this based on her experience in Model United Nations.
“MUN was mostly something I was just interested in. It was the closest thing to what I really wanted to go into and it’s fun,” Madison said.
For Madison, MUN has helped her narrow down her career plans, and also allowed her to form connections. Librarian and head of Model UN Susan Sawin has become one of these people.
“I met Natalia when she first moved here two years ago and showed interest in MUN,” Sawin said.
Despite Madison’s involvement with MUN, her major isn’t quite the same thing she’s been doing in the club.
“MUN is focused a lot on the politics of it and the countries, and I’m a lot more interested in what goes on behind the scenes because it’s a lot more effective,” Madison said. “The moving of intelligence and information can really turn the tide in conflicts and can really affect diplomatic relations. It’s just more of a hands-on approach.”
High school helped Madison figure out her dream job, even if it involves languages not offered at First Flight.
“I have taken Spanish and French throughout middle and high school, and when I get to Carolina I’m taking Russian and Arabic, and possibly Serbo-Croatian,” Madison said.
Madison may have only been at First Flight for two years, but she has made a lasting impact on the school and its staff.
“She is completely no-nonsense,” Sawin said. “She has a really good grasp of the big picture of things and knows her place in it.”
Senior Grace Sullivan can be reached at [email protected].
