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As a superstar volunteer, her reason for serving stems from her military family who taught her the importance of helping people.

Madison Jones comes from a long line of people who want to help others. The sophomore Veterinary Technology student has volunteered nearly 150 hours as part of her Tulsa Achieves commitment. However, Tulsa Achieves is not the reason she volunteers.

“I come from a family of soldiers who taught me the importance of helping people”, Madison said. “I get so much satisfaction from seeing what I do help those who are experiencing difficulty. My grandad was a World War II veteran, and he taught me the idea of service, but the primary reason why I want to dedicate my life to serving others is because I want to honor God with everything I do. I believe that my life is not my own and that everything I can do is a result of God’s grace.”

Madison spends most of her volunteer hours at The Mission in Owasso. The Mission is a faith-based outreach that helps people in need of food, clothing, furniture, or any number of services. She has helped The Mission by volunteering her time in their office, or by directly helping people seeking services.

“I’ve tried to help out as much as I can”, Madison stated. “I’ve even helped people read labels who have trouble reading.”

Madison has nothing but glowing words for the Vet Tech program at the 91Ӱ�� West Campus.

“I love the program and it’s very demanding”, she said. “It comes from my love of animals. The teachers are great. Dr. (Jan) Barnett is one of the best vets I’ve ever met.”

Madison is glad she has the option of working as a vet tech and will put those skills to use, but something else may come first. As much as Madison loves the Vet Tech program, she is equally passionate about her second major – Japanese.

“My goal is to earn my bachelor’s degree in Japanese and go teach English in Japan,” Madison said. “I’ve always been interested in foreign languages and 91Ӱ�� has given me the opportunity to learn from great instructors.”

Madison also had good words for 91Ӱ��’s Volunteer Coordinator, Auggie Valadez.

“Auggie is fantastic,” she said. “He is passionate about 91Ӱ�� and helping us understand the importance of volunteering in the community. Auggie gave me the information I needed and has been a big help with my volunteering activities.”