Lessons from Madison Alexander

Madison Alexander said "...no shot is guaranteed and every swing counts in the game of golf."  I observed one of the most brilliant and the brightest minds academically prepare for professional and graduate opportunities while excelling at the game of golf with dedication and equanimity.  She upheld that some things in life are a matter of chance and some things are a matter of choice; what we do with both, can be a matter of success.

 Reflectively, there are many valuable lessons that I learned from this recent Lee University grad.   As a standout pupil in the accounting program, a NCAA All American player, an All-American Scholar,  a member of various honor societies, and a recipient of the highest athletic award from the University's President, she provided a wealth of lessons; I share a few.

Madison is an iceberg.  A still shot could never capture the depth of her character or strength.  Her diversity or versatility in life matters were expansive.   On a golf course, in a classroom, or in a coffee shop, one would only see the tip of the iceberg; never the full picture.  Madison frequented the golf course  for practice and play; engaged in the classroom for academic exchange and challenge; and in a coffee shop shared moments of reprieve and respite in the company of a good book or good friends.  She uses her incredible gifts as bridge builder; a way to connect with others rather a reason to stand apart as an elitist. I love that about her.

I learned from Madison Alexander that there was nothing such as being over-prepared.  You are either prepared, or not - simple.  An extra mile is not extra, it is merely going further to accomplish an intended end.  Madison reminded me that one's level of preparedness cannot be aptly measured by external assessment but the demonstration of intrinsic understanding through application to existing problems.  

I still vividly recall my initial and ensuing encounters with Madison in classes; during each class session she asked questions, upon questions, upon questions. Teachers often reassure students, "there are no dumb questions."  Let me expound on that statement. While there may not be any dumb questions, there are some questions predicated on a lack of reading rather than a lack of understanding; the former are the ones that I detest.  Enter Madison Alexander.

I had no idea who Madison was except as "The Guaranteed Interruption" in the class .  One day at the end of a session, I asked patience (a little thin) "...are you actually reading the text?"   Madison, looked up at me, sighed, and said, "I am! It's just that although I have answers, I still have more questions."  Having answers did not silence but awakened her to further inquiry; questions did not embarrass but rather emboldened her to use each as a segue to deeper truths.  Madison's response reminded me to appreciate the why in education, mentoring, and teaching.

Teaching and learning remains an important platform for the success of the next generation; we do not teach so that others know, we teach so that learners ask questions, seek alternatives, and discover more truths through further inquiry.  Madison reminded me, that reading (for knowledge) is not a destination; reading is a point of departure.  Her notes, highlights, references in a text and on paper were a road map to somewhere greater; we were merely charting the course to where she could eventually go.  

I am no expert on the game of golf but enjoy the occasional game from the sidelines. Observing Madison as the academic scholar and the athlete was insightful.  I asked how she celebrated the wins and handled the losses. She said that each win and loss was greeted the same; as a moment to be shared with team, with family, and with friends who surrounded and supported her. Those who shared the wins and losses, set her up for the next great round.  It was not the accomplishments but the people who celebrated those victories, and cheered through the failures, that brought the greatest measure of joy.  Surround yourself with people who care.

Golf, Madison explained, is a game of chance, precipitated by choice, improved by practiced, and enhanced by technique.  You choose the club, gauge the distance, assess the location, decide on the swing, take the hit, and wait.  She dispelled my belief that practice makes perfect in the game of golf; she made it clear that once the ball was suspended, there was nothing that one could do to control the outcome or the elements that impacted it.  Everything you could have done, needed to have preceded that moment. Wow.  That is a neat lesson.

An infectious  smile disguises Madison's competitiveness at the sport, in academics, and in practice.  To under estimate the intensity that exists beneath the surface is to marginalize the strengths that she has and brings to each situation.  Madison shared a story with me that even now, makes me smile.  In grade school, Madison's teacher told her mom, that Madison cried whenever she had to use the eraser because it meant she did something incorrect.  You would have to know Madison to understand how eerily true this is even now! Today, there are not tears just palpable concern as she assesses wrongs as input on how to correct and continue.  As a child, the eraser was a reckoning device that required acknowledgement of a wrong.  An important lesson for adults; acknowledge your mistakes - they are yours - own them.

As a member of the Varsity golf team Madison practice plays morphed into the critical plays at a tournament.  I asked her another a simple question.  When you look into the distance at the location of a hole, observe that the course is not an easy path, and you know that this turn will be a difficult play, what do you do?   After a short moment she responded and it took a minute for me to process her simple yet profound statement.  Madison said, I take the swing.  

Even now, in my mind's eye, I see Madison take a swing.  She looks on, not sure where that golf ball will land but leans forward on the club, and watches as it begins to roll. There is a pause and a release of breathe as she walks towards  the hole to see how great or how poorly (in her estimation) she may have done.  Madison allows herself a moment of rejoicing or a twinge of remorse, straightens up, shoulders back, because in a little while, she will have to swing again.  The swing before or the swing after, never surpasses the significance of the swing in that moment.  That, in my opinion, is what makes the game of golf great.  There is something powerful about the game of golf that attracts millions and is played with exception by just a few.  I could name many of the greats and among them, would stand Madison Alexander.  Every course that I have observed her on, she dares to conquer.

In December 2015, Madison completed the Accounting  degree coursework with 150 hours to prepare for the CPA exam; she passed AUD (Audit) six weeks after graduation and during an internship is preparing to take the remaining three sections.  Prior to graduation, top-tier accounting firms and many top law schools from across the United States invited her to include each on that journey of success.  She is at that moment where her preparation presents choices.  The invitations still come in; her successes may look like chances, but each sit on a precipice of faith.  

I am never short of stories of lessons learned in the classroom from students who in that process of time, become the teacher as I, gladly become the student.  When we prepare and give our best, we are emboldened to take what appears to others as chance but are really choices. Going the extra mile, giving a little more than is required, remaining focus when the odds are great and the outcomes are unlikely, are what makes life triumphant. Sharing those moments with others, is what makes life worthwhile.

I learned many lessons from Madison Alexander. Today, wherever I am in life, whatever I am facing or contemplating, I know what I need to do.  Take the swing; just go for it.  Take the swing.

Inspired by Madison Alexander; her lessons, kindness, and strengths remained etched in my heart and mind.

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 Dr. Ingrid Amelia Hart uses her platform to change lives; a teacher, a consultant, and speaker with expertise in accounting and professional services largely strengthened by years in academia as a professor.