Madison Oliveri is a Liberty alumni who studies marketing at Jacksonville University, more than 15 hours from her hometown of Binghamton, NY.
Now a junior in college, Madison credits the counselors at Liberty Partnerships Program of Binghamton High School for helping her get into college and making sure she was comfortable once she got there. She said they reached out multiple times during her freshman year to check on her.
“That was very comforting,” she said.
Madison first got involved in Liberty as a seventh grader at East Middle School. Like many Liberty students, she joined because she already had friends in the program who would often go to the Liberty classroom to play games, hang out, and talk to counselors.
It wasn’t until later that she realized everything Liberty could help her accomplish. As her needs changed and matured, both at home and in school, so did the services that Liberty counselors and programs offered – from guidance to one-on-one academic support.
“Really anything I needed, they were there for me. That was when I learned it was more than just a fun spot to hang out,” she said.
When she went through a hard time and her grades started to slip, Liberty counselors helped her come up with a plan to get back on track and helped her stick with it. There were also check-ins throughout the year to make sure all students’ needs were being met.
“There was a very big emphasis on making sure we poured into our academics as much as anything else.”
But the opportunities Liberty offered didn’t stop in the classroom. Madison took advantage of several Liberty programs that helped students get more involved in their community, explore the state capital, and visit SUNY campuses across the state.
Liberty C.I.T.Y. Project, a summer program centered on community giveback projects, ended up being one of Madison’s favorite memories of Liberty. One summer, during the “Ramp It Up” program, Liberty students built ramps for a wheelchair-bound person in Binghamton.
It was a physically demanding task, especially in the heat of the summer, but Madison said finishing the project and helping a member of their community was well worth the effort. “I stuck through it and it just made me so proud of myself,” she said.
Madison and her classmates also went on field trips to Albany with Liberty on a few occasions, where they explored the state capital, met with government leaders, and toured government buildings to learn more about state politics.
But some of the most important trips Madison took with Liberty were the weekend trips to SUNY campuses around the area. Even though Madison wanted to go to college out of state, seeing as many colleges as she could helped her better understand what she was looking for in a school.
“There were weekends where we toured 4 or 5 colleges,” she said. “They were so fun and informative.”
When it came time to start applying to college, Madison worked closely with Liberty counselors to prepare for and complete the SAT and ACT, as well as her FAFSA application. They also helped her compare each college by factors like cost and student demographics.
“We went over all the details and specifics of the college and even the area surrounding the college,” Madison said.
Now a junior in college, Madison said the move to Florida was a big adjustment – both environmentally and culturally. But she quickly came to realize Jacksonville was the right place for her when she discovered her passion for athletic marketing.
Since she had always been an athlete but was no longer playing sports in college, she thought athletic marketing could be a good career path for her. Once she started doing photography and videography for Jacksonville University’s athletics department, she never looked back.
“It made me really happy and I felt like that was where I fit in,” she said.
Madison eventually started networking with the coaches of the men’s basketball team and began to work primarily with their team. She’s now the Assistant Creative Director for Men’s Basketball. She recently went with them to a Jacksonville Jaguars game to create content.
“I’m going on my third year of being down here, and I do love it here. I really do,” she said.