Madison Thornhill, our “Member Spotlight” Scholarship recipient, says she was thankful to use the membership benefits of scholarship opportunities and networking with other students and potential employers. “My name is Madison Thornhill, and I am a senior at the University of Georgia. I am studying public relations and advertising within the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. I will graduate with honors May 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. Through the University of Georgia’s Double Dawg program, I will obtain a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in a five-year time frame. With this accelerated master’s program, I will graduate with a master’s degree in advertising and public relations May 2020.
Upon graduating, I plan to find a career path that will allow me to use my journalism, advertising and public relations skills in communicating to various audiences. Before attending the University of Georgia, I was a writing and communications major at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC). ABAC is in my hometown of Tifton, Georgia. I began taking college courses as a junior in high school. After graduating from high school, I completed core curriculum at ABAC.
I was selected as a student ambassador and served as historian to the ambassador organization. I worked as an assistant in the office of admissions. As my writing skills strengthened inside the classroom, I found my passion for public relations outside the classroom through my experience as a student ambassador and as an admissions assistant. Before transferring to UGA, I was awarded the George P. Donaldson Award at graduation. This award is given to the top associate degree candidate for performance inside and outside the classroom. This scholarship will ease the financial burden of completing a bachelor’s and master’s degree. It is an honor to be a part of an organization that recognizes and rewards commitment to excellence.