Oak Hills High School valedictorian Madison Brown is bound for the Ivy Leagues
Oak Hills High School senior Madison Brown has recently been accepted to over 30 colleges, including prestigious private and Ivy League universities.
Included in the impressive list are Cornell University, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Chicago, and Duke Kunshan. Madison is torn between Cornell and Duke Kunshan in China, she said. The decision comes down to which school offers the best program for her intended microbiology or immunology degree.
Madison has also been selected as one of the Oak Hills High School class of 2024 valedictorians, an honor that justifies her dedication to the books. Countless advanced placement classes and supplemental college courses at Victor Valley College helped elevate her college applications, as well as her extracurricular activities and volunteer work.
The Brown family is "very pleased with (Madison's) outcome thus far and blessed to have her as a child," according to her father Tye Brown.
Madison's background
Madison transferred to Oak Hills High School from Hesperia High School during her junior year to take AP chemistry, a class that was only offered at Oak Hills at the time. She was also a part of the academic program Early College Academy (ECA), an early-start program that gives students the opportunity to complete college-level courses while in high school.
The Brown family stressed the importance of ECA for prospective High Desert high school graduates. Oak Hills High School designed the program with Victor Valley College to help students get ahead for an easier segue into college. The three-year program is free, and students can earn up to 40 college credits.
According to Tye, Madison had the academic inspiration she needed to pursue scholar status from her brother Chandler Brown, a Harvard graduate now pursuing his doctoral degree at Stanford University. Tye, Madison's mother Yvonne Brown, and sister Brittany Brown also have higher education degrees from acclaimed four-year universities.
Even with a supportive family and the ECA program, Madison faced adversity on her path to academic success.
Madison started high school amid the COVID-19 outbreak. She also endured the loss of her middle school science teacher who was "instrumental to her love of science," the family said. According to Tye, his death is what influenced his daughter to study immunology and microbiology in college.
"We have seen her struggle and grow while keeping up with her older sister and brother, but she found her own footing and continued to forge ahead," Tye said.
Going the extra mile
Madison is no stranger to academic achievement.
She won the Krystal School of Science, Math & Technology science fair competition in fifth grade. Additionally, she was selected for the “Top Water Award” from the Mojave River Watershed Group (MRWG) for her project.
It was also a top priority for Madison to join as many extracurriculars as possible.
She's a member of the National Honor Society, California Scholarship Federation, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Youth in Government for Hesperia, and the Oak Hills Mental Health Awareness Club.
Madison is also an AVID program tutor and she volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House on a regular basis, her father said.
The Brown family could have guessed that Madison was destined for academic success but getting into over 30 universities and being the high school valedictorian is a feat to be "extremely proud" over, they added.
McKenna Mobley is a Daily Press reporter and can be reached at mmobley@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Oak Hills student Madison Brown accepted to Ivy League college
