Two months ago a hard-working, curious, young woman reached out to me.
“I’m interested to know how I can best prepare myself for the future ” with regards to becoming a millennial specialist. My antenna shot straight up. I was immediately impressed by her initiative and advocacy. That LinkedIn message turned into a phone call, which turned into an in- person meeting, and ultimately lead her to be a part of our High Achieving Millennial Research Project team. This future White House staffer is going to add a whole lot of value to our work!
I hope you enjoy getting to know the amazing Madalynn Williams a bit more here.
What’s a fun fact about you?
A lot of people call me Michelle Obama because I like to dress pretty professional on causal days. I don’t want to call it a shrine, but I have a lot of memorabilia when Barack Obama was running in 2008. Books, Rolling Stones magazine and a lot of stuff on the two of them.
Tell me about the 3 things you’re most proud of from your professional experience so far:
The work I’ve done in Pediatrics is definitely at the top. Gaining the experience to learn how to run a small business has been rewarding. Knowing how many hats you have to wear and everything that goes into finance aspect of it. From my day-today moments to the really big moments, they all helped me grow.
Working with the Peer Education Program at Planned Parenthood helped me gain a greater understanding of how to communicate with people of my own peer group. You don’t need to be the loudest voice, but you need to be there for a person. People ask me questions that they haven’t felt permission to ask before. That makes a big impact on a person.
Finally, working in the Congressman’s Office and the government taught me that relationships are so important. Maintaining relationships and being a member of their network and community was something I really needed to learn. Now that I’m leaving my comfort zone I know that I need to be present in other people’s lives.
How did you learn about SparkVision and why did you want to get involved?
When I was coming off the Chris Van Hollen campaign, I wanted to understand millennials better. I spent time on LinkedIn and discovered MaryBeth’s profile. I figured nothing bad could happened if I sent her a message. Then, I saw the SV website was interested in the work. Not just understanding millennials, but creating environments where people can grow. I want to know about the entire generation and it’s not easy to capture that. I’m really interested in the work.
My summer was about building relationships with new people. And now I have a role with SparkVision that I’m really excited about! It all happened because I wasn’t afraid to reach out.
Why are you interested in millennial research?
I’ve always been interested in government relationship and elected officials. My work on the Chris Van Hollen campaign made me really interested in millennials and how much of a focus there is on us. What makes them interested in working towards a campaign or a volunteer experience? I’m curious about my own generation -there’s so many negative connotations associated to us and I want to understand what the data suggests and not just what the tag lines are.
Why Elon? What to do you want to become?
I chose Elon because they saw me as a thinker — someone who could contribute in society. When you put yourself out there. You want them to like you, you’re doing it for them. They really valued what I had done in high school. They generally attract new people, different experiences than mine and have different stories. Being an independent person. Being devoted to studies and making friends who are like me. I’m looking forward to being a part of something new.
Ultimately, I want to become the Chief of Staff or Communications Director at the White House.
What are you most hoping to get out of the experience with SparkVision?
The biggest thing for me is understanding the mindset for the average millennial and what makes a person driven and excited for where they work and where they want to work. I want to go a layer deeper to the psyche of a person. To debunk some of the myths associated to millennials.
Sometimes what I think I’m going to get out of an experience is the complete opposite. I’m open to whatever happens. As an 18 year-old, I’m excited to be a part of this organization and I want to see the mechanics behind the work.