Madeline Senate has made a notable impact on Somerville High School, and has been a highly active member in the community both inside and outside of the school. She has been named the 2025 SHS Valedictorian and will do amazing things in the future. Madeline will attend Georgetown University this fall and major in Political Economy. Afterwards, she plans to go to law school and become a lawyer. Her interest in law was sparked through Mock Trial, where she enjoyed researching legal cases, building arguments, and developing her public speaking skills. After taking government and politics classes and learning more about the field, she became even more interested in studying law, motivating her to pursue this career. She ended up choosing to attend Georgetown University because of its superb location and the large amount of opportunities available. She has always wanted to experience living in a city, and its location in Washington DC is perfect for the field of law and government. The school has great opportunities and connections to get started in this field, and she is very excited to attend this fall. Hoya saxa!
Advice from Madeline:
To any younger students who are seeking a career in law, government, or politics, she would recommend putting yourself out there by taking the initiative to get involved. There are many school clubs like Mock Trial, Student Council, and Youth and Government through which you can meet students with similar interests and enhance your public speaking skills. One of the most unique features of this field is how organizations are always looking for volunteers and there are so many ways to get involved, so just reaching out to local political organizations is a great way to get started without any previous experience needed! It is never too late, and you are never too young. The important thing is to step outside of your comfort zone and explore new opportunities.
One of Madeline’s favorite memories from high school is prom weekend. Last year, she and her friends stayed at a beach house in Ocean City. It was a great trip and she had so much fun walking the boardwalk, staying out late on the beach, and spending time together. She did the same trip for her senior year prom weekend. Madeline has no major regrets from high school, but would recommend that younger students make the most of high school. Although four years can feel like forever, it is important to make the most of it by reaching out to new people, experiencing new things, and exploring new opportunities. Make use of the freedom you have in high school because you will be graduating before you even know it!
Madeline had an overall positive high school experience. It was definitely full of many changes, from having to wear masks and sanitize desks during freshman year to switching to block scheduling junior year, but she was able to adapt with the help of her teachers and friends. As an underclassman, she spent her first two years of high school exploring new paths by joining lots of clubs and getting involved in many different activities. Madeleine was not sure what she wanted to do when she got older—she even considered a career in astronomy for a period of time!—but she had fun learning about lots of different fields and exploring her options.
Madeline also loved going on adventures with her friends after school. She and her friends would walk downtown and get sushi at Yutaka so often that the waiters memorized their orders! It was not until her junior year that she began to think about college. Madeline signed up for many AP classes without realizing the workload that would come with them, so in addition to SAT prep and her extracurriculars, she had a hefty AP workload. Her junior year was definitely the most difficult year.
“Once you finish all your college applications, then senior year is 100% the best year,” says Madeline.
While junior year seemed to crawl by, she can’t believe senior year is ending so soon. Madeline will miss seeing her friends in school, and after they go to college all over the country, she knows she will miss being able to drive 10 minutes to hang out with her best friends. There were definitely obstacles, but overall, Madeline knows her high school experience was unforgettable.
Madeline has been a part of numerous clubs including mock trial, student council, Interact Club, Youth and Government club, crocheting and Knitting club and the Asian Student Association. Outside of school she continued her passion for helping others by participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and being an intern for Somerset County Democrats.
