VYPE recently interview Wichita Northwest’s Madison Godwin to learn more about who she is.
VYPE: What are your personal goals for the year?
Some of my personal goals for this upcoming year include finding another job. I currently work at a daycare that i absolutely love but i need to find another job to start saving up for a few different things. I need to start saving up for college as well as my first solo trip to California next summer. Another goal I have is to focus on myself mentally and physically. I want to start going on jogs more to stay in shape and work on my stamina for my senior year of volleyball coming up. I also want to work on keeping myself up mentally this year. I want to be encouraging to anyone I am around. I would like to start journaling some more as well so I am thinking of myself a little more because that is so important!
VYPE: What is the most fun you have had in the last year?
This past year has been a lot of fun. I got to see some of my favorite artists in concert and have many more coming up! I also just went on a trip to Oregon that was amazing and i got to visit the Blue Pool which was absolutely gorgeous (I even got to jump in to the 37 degree water twice). This trip was one of my most exciting things from this year. It was super fun seeing the west coast and getting to travel along it visiting so many different cool spots. Another cool thing we got to see was Bella’s house from Twilight which was so fun! I am a big Twilight fan so that was awesome!
VYPE: Who is your favorite teacher from any grade, and why?
My favorite teacher I’ve had would have to be Hastiin Kitchen. I had him for AP US History and it was the bast class ever! Any time we were working in groups, Kitchen would come to my table and he would just talk with me and my friends for the whole class period some days. He has been one of the most amazing people I have ever got the pleasure to know. He has also been one of the most encouraging teachers I have ever had. I love how much he pushes me to be the best I can. He has so much faith in me and all of his students that it’s hard not to love him! He is also one of the biggest reasons that I am going into teaching for my future. He helped me to believe more in myself and has been extremely inspirational. I love getting to know him more and connecting with him, not only as a teacher but as the amazing human he is. There is so much that I have learned from him and will continue to learn.
VYPE: What is your favorite athletic memory?
My volleyball journey didn’t really start until 9th grade. I was always interested in playing volleyball because I’ve always been very athletic but I never actually got into the sport seriously until 8th grade. I tried out for the team and didn’t make it which was pretty discouraging but I knew I wanted to play the sport so I tried again my freshman year and my coach that year (Coach Leake) had so much faith in me that she decided to put me on the freshman team, and she still is pursuing me even now to join her team at Bethel college. I was so excited and never knew how far I would come. I worked hard all year and have been working hard since to be better any chance I can. Because of the dedication and hard work I have put in, I was able to make the varsity team my junior year which is something I never would have thought I could have done. Making varsity and then getting to go to state with such an amazing team has definitely been my favorite athletic memory up to this point of my life.
VYPE: What teammate has left the biggest impression on you and why?
The teammate to leave the biggest impact on me has for sure been Payton Benoit. She was always one of my biggest inspirations because of how good of a player she is as well as her attitude. She has one of the best attitudes and personalities I have ever seen on a person. Payton has told me how much she believes in me and always seemed to support me which I will forever be grateful for. She is a huge part of the reason as to why I made varsity my junior year and the reason I am where I am at athletically. She has been a huge figure in my life and I will always look up to her for that. I will never forget the way she took me in like a little sister even though I was terrified to be a part of the team because I didn’t know anyone.
VYPE: What is your favorite part of being on this team?
My favorite part of being on the Northwest volleyball team is how much we push each other. Everyone has so much love for each other and we are always pushing each other to work hard. There is always encouragement from the sidelines which is so nice. The team is super amazing but all of the credit goes to coach Hiebert. She joined our volleyball program in 2021 and has made super great connections with all of the girls including me. Coach was never afraid to do what needed to be done. She knows exactly how to lead her team to success and push us when we start falling behind. Her encouraging spirit is so helpful when the team gets down. She is always supporting us in whatever ways she can. Hiebert is such a good coach and a great leader for our program! Our team would not be the same without her and I am so grateful to Coach Hiebert for putting me on varsity last year. She saw something in me that I don’t think I even saw in myself.
VYPE: You can pick any place for a summer vacation. Where do you go, and who do you take with you?
Since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to go to Australia. I would pick Australia as a summer vacation if I could choose anywhere to go. Not only is it one of the most beautiful places ever but the people there seem so kind. I think Australia would be such a cool place to visit. I would choose my mom to go with me because we are super close. Me and my mom do everything together and we are like best friends so we would have so much fun going together to Australia. My moms life is always full of stress so I would love to get to take her on a trip to Australia that is completely stress free at some point in our future. This would be such a cool thing to get to do for my mom considering everything she’s done for me!
VYPE: If we gave you $500 and you had to spend it in the next 24 hours, what would you spend it on?
If I were given $500, it would most likely go directly to concerts. Anyone that knows me, knows that I absolutely love concerts and music. I am constantly going out of town to see somebody new in concert. I have a festival coming up that I need to buy the tickets for me and my mom for as well as tickets to see Niall Horan next year in California. I have already bought these tickets but I still have to save up for the plane ticket. So the money would definitely go towards my festival tickets and that flight!
VYPE: Do you participate in any community service projects?
Any community service projects I do are typically through my church. My mom loves volunteering so we are always helping out. One thing we do with our church is volunteer at an old folks home which is super cool to get to visit with them and bring some love and entertainment into their lives. I also have a community service class this year on my schedule!
VYPE: What Clubs or Campus groups are you involved with and why?
One club I am apart of is HALO. This club focuses on the growth of the hispanic community which I think is extremely important. I was also a part of the educators rising club last year which I would like to do again this next year because I am interested in teaching in my future. I would love to join more groups this upcoming year but I think it will be too difficult while working two jobs. I am hoping to do whatever I am able to do though. I would really like to work with the yearbook class but as a club instead if that is possible!
VYPE: Are you involved in academic excellence activities such as the National Honor Society, Student Council, or other academic clubs?
I am apart of the Early College Academy program which was just started about 4 years ago so they are still figuring things out with it. However, this program is a huge academic accomplishment. The most notable thing about the program is that I will graduate with the equivalent to an associates degree which is amazing because college will already be difficult financially so getting the first two years out of the way earlier and for free is super amazing. This program has also helped me few more at home at school. I’ve always struggled with fitting in so getting to be a part of this program is so cool.
