Education and Experiences Drive this Graduate to Care for Others

René White, Clarke County Resident and Maddy’s Granné 

Madison (Maddy) Fuller, a 2020 CCHS graduate, attributes much of her education to her experiences.

During CCHS she has taken several college medical courses and became certified in Incident Command Systems and Hazmat Awareness. 

Maddy joined Blue Ridge Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company (BRVFRC) when she was 16-years old and has been running calls since she became CPR certified. This year, BRVFRC honored Maddy with the “Rescue Captain Award.” 

Maddy is a state-certified nursing assistant (CNA) and a Specialized Dementia Trainer. Last summer, Valley Health selected Maddy as one of the few “top performing CNAs” to work as an Emergency Department technician in the observation unit at their Winchester Medical Center. “Maddy’s delightful,” said Dr. Lisa Zerull, Ph.D., Valley Health’s academic liaison, who facilitates the health-care career-pathway by ensuring ‘today’s students become tomorrow’s Valley Heath employees.’ “Maddy is a highly motivated, very talented and high potential individual,” said Dr. Zerull describing Maddy’s maturity during the COVID-19 pandemic of putting on personal protective equipment to care for dying patients. “Maddy is one of those people the community says: Wow, she’s going places.” 

Maddy credits life’s experiences for real teachings. She has literally helped save people’s lives and says she is, “Designed to care.” 

“We are each designed differently, with capabilities and disabilities,” Maddy explained. “From babysitting to volunteering, I’ve always been driven towards helping others.” When asked what it means to get the most out of education Maddy said, “To my family, education means I have a greater chance of having a successful life and being able to provide for my future family. For me, education means more than this. “There are things that I know, like I know my name is Madison. There are things I know that I don’t know, like I know that I don’t know how to speak Russian. All of these things live in the area of things I know or in the realm of knowing

“What excites me, is that largely what exists in the world are things that ‘I don’t know that I don’t know.’ I would like to discover things that I don’t know that I don’t know, and move them into my realm of knowing; so, I’m conscious of the wonderment and endless possibilities of what I don’t know that I don’t know yet, in order to help others. This is what getting the most out of education means to me,” she said. 

Maddy graduates CCHS with honors and 20 college credits as a CNA and emergency medical technician. So far, Maddy has received close to $15,000 in 12 scholarships to attend nursing school at Lord Fairfax Community College. Additionally, Valley Health offered Maddy a full-time job. Maddy wants to thank her employer, teachers, community, friends and family for helping her. “I believe when I get added strength and support from others to be my full self, I really believe that I can be extraordinary for others. Helping others is in my heart,” Maddy said. “Thank you everyone.”